The Children
by 26Chapters
Summary: Five children show up from the past, claiming to be Damon and Bonnie's.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, **All Your Faces.**

* * *

'You _what_?!' Bonnie urgently asks through clenched teeth, which she hopes sensors her rising incredulity.

She doesn't know if it works, because her eyes blaze at Damon, trying to find a flicker of a hint of what in the world happened that made him give the ascendant to Lily for safe keeping. It's that she can't begin to understand how that happened, when she clearly gave it to him, because she trusted him to keep it safe.

She almost wants to push past him and walk away from him, but there's a little space inside her that wants to believe that he has a good reason for trusting Lily with something as fragile as the ascendant. That little space inside her, keeps her standing where she is, waiting to hear his explanation.

Apparently seeing the waiting expression on her face, Damon looks around them on the one side and then urgently takes her by the elbow, letting out a slightly exasperated, 'Come here,' before pulling her with him, in through the door on their side.

'Damon,' she starts as soon as they are in the room, ' _you_ were the one who said her friends are vampires who can do magic.'

He better start explaining himself, she hotly thinks, because she won't take any excuses. To think that she'd smiled from her heart when he cut across her with a cup of coffee, a shining smile and a smoothly warming greeting!

'I think the-' he starts to casually say, like he can't tell that she's annoyed with him, but then she holds up her hand to motion for him to stop talking.

She felt, for one short second an impressive wave of energy suddenly burst to life. The shoot of magic disappeared just as suddenly disappeared, but the way she felt it, she can't ignore that she felt it.

'What was that?' she asks him, all of her annoyance with him suddenly gone.

She looks at him, waiting for him to tell her what other surprise he brought with him. The first red light, went off when his true reason for showing up poked out through his pretence. Considering that, that burst of energy, could easily be the second red light surrounding his presence. With the way Damon is, especially considering this new development with Lily, it won't really surprise him that he might have something to do with the magic that she just felt in the air.

'What was what?' he asks her in turn, frowning for effect.

Whether he's playing dumb, or he genuinely doesn't know what she's talking about, Bonnie can't consider it, because she needs to know what that was.

'I felt incredible magic just now,' she tells him, unaware that her eyes are shining with curious wonder, 'but I-'

She doesn't get to finish her sentence, because once again, like he did around a minute ago, Damon urgently takes her by her forearm, consequently cutting her words off, and nearly has her spilling her coffee onto the floor, as he pulls her out of the room. The way that he pulls her with him, though, is almost to say that he knows something that she doesn't, and he wants to protect her from whatever it is that he knows.

'Damon, what are you-' she tries to protest and pull herself free, but they are already out through the door that they came in and in the hallway that they just left.

Out in the hallway, quite close to the door they just exited, is a group of children that stands out for her, because none of them look even near the age of being college students. Apart from that group of children, nothing else seems to have changed, or responsible for the burst of magic that she felt a minute ago.

She almost ignores the group of children as Damon pulls her past them, when out of the blue, one of the children, a little girl, screams, 'Mommy!' before jumping to her and attacking her leg with her small arms. At the same time this happens, a little boy, does the same thing, only, he screams, 'Daddy!' before jumping to hug both of Damon's legs.

Huh? She blinks once, keeping her eyes closed just a tad longer than they are supposed to be for a blink.

What?

Unfortunately, Bonnie doesn't even get to time to catch up, or begin to wonder what it is that's going on, because the two remaining girls step to them. With her own eyes, Bonnie watches the shorter of the two girls step even closer to her and Damon, and then just like that, for no reason at all, winds either arm around her and Damon.

'I'm so glad to see you guys,' she quietly says, but sheer relief and happiness can be heard in her voice. At least, Bonnie can hear those two things in the girls' voice.

Huh? She blinks again. This time however, she doesn't keep her eyes shut for longer than a split second, because she doesn't want to miss a thing.

What's going on right now, she wonders, why can she see and hear everything that's going on, but her mind refuses to take it in and react… or something at least?

'Uh…?' Damon questioningly gets out of his mouth.

Even without looking at him, she can tell that he's turned his head to her, to look and direct the question at her. She turns her head to return his look, only, she hopes to communicate to him that she doesn't know a thing of what's going on. She sees the children, she hears their words and she even feels their arms, but that's as far as her mind is able to process.

Okay, maybe her mind is also able to process that she feels a little trapped. What with Damon's hand still on her forearm, the little girl's arms around her leg and the short girl's arm around her waist, she wishes that she could use her hand to push herself free from all the people attaching themselves to her. Except, her other hand is still holding the coffee cup, and she can't use it.

'What's going on?' he mouths to her, urgency on his facial expression.

What does he mean what's going on, she wonders, creating a concentrated frown for him to read that she's doesn't have a clue. He's the one who suddenly showed up with a surprise, so how is she supposed to know what's going on?

'I can explain,' a voice breaks through their glaring at each other.

As they both turn to face the voice that spoke, the tallest of the girls takes one last step to them, and it's only then that Bonnie notices that the girl has a baby cradled in her arms.

'Hi,' she smiles at them.

Her smile looks a little familiar. It looks like a smile that Bonnie once saw in a photo, but can't seem to place at the moment.

'Hi,' Damon answers tentatively, following it with, 'Who are you, and why are they hugging us?'

'Oh,' the girls softly exclaims like she's just realising something. 'Come on, you guys, let them go.'

'Aw,' simultaneously leaves three mouths, but it's followed by the three letting go and stepping back.

To avoid looking at the three that just released her from their arms, Bonnie keeps her eyes on the girl with the baby in her arms. Still, she can't process anything other than the relief that she's now free from the unwarranted embraces.

'Please don't freak out,' the girl speaks calmly, maturely for how old she appears even, 'especially you, Mom,' -she looks at Bonnie- 'but we're _your_ kids. You're our parents.'

Huh?

This time, she doesn't blink and from the corner of her eye, she barely manages to vaguely see Damon turn to look at her again, but her mind is at a complete standstill.

'Kids?' Damon asks with something that sounds like wonder in his voice.

'You guys died two weeks ago in the past,' the taller girl evenly narrates, 'and we all used our magic to make it here to you.'

Huh?

They're kids, Bonnie thinks as she stares at the speaking girl. How can they all use their magic at such ages? That magic that she felt was way too powerful to have come from kids.

'Your magic?' it's Damon who asks again.

Before giving her answer, the girl smiles, no, she gives off a dazzling smile that's more pride than anything else. 'Yeah, we're first generation Salvatore witches with Bennett blood. That's what you always say, Dad.'

'Yeah, the whole Dad thing…' Damon says testingly, 'can that _stop_?'

Bonnie can almost see the strange expression on his face, through his words, and she doesn't blame him for looking like that, even though she can't see him. It's all those faces... she can't blame Damon for being the way that he is right now.

'You're our dad,' she replies simply, clearly stating that she's not going to stop calling that. 'Anyway, that's Ethan and Nice, they're five,' she points at the two little ones. 'That's Flora, she's ten, and I'm Mia. I'm thirteen.'

After the introduction, she steps back to Bonnie and then presents the baby to her. 'And this is Dean, he's two months. Mom, can you take him?'

Huh?

* * *

Chapter 2, **Believe.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, **Believe.**

* * *

There could a number of reasons for this craziness that's standing before her, but in her mind, Bonnie can only think of it as a joke. The joke's not even close to being funny, to qualify as a joke, but still, she can only think of it as a joke, a very lame joke.

Feeling that way, she looks at the baby being held out to her, and then she turns to Damon. This must be his doing, directly or indirectly, and because of that, she feels even more anger towards him than from before when it was just the two of them. If looks could kill, he might've been dead at least three times over by now. She's that overtaken by her anger, that she roughly pushes her gifted cup of coffee back into his hands.

'Take your frappu-whatever,' she hisses, 'and stay the hell away from me, Damon!'

For all she knows, if he's capable of pretending to care about her, right before sucking her into this disturbing joke, he's too capable of drugging the coffee. Now that she thinks about it, maybe he'd drugged it all along, so that she could be wooed by the drugs in the coffee, to agree with whatever crazily stupid thing he came to ask her. And considering what he'd done with Kai, bringing Kai to her, even when she _specifically_ told him that she never wanted to see him again, she has very good reason to suspect this of him.

He, surprisingly accepts the cup from her, but he just as quickly shifts it to his other hand, so that his nearest hand can grab her arm to prevent, her from walking away.

'Oh no, you don't,' he tells her plainly and quite seriously.

She can't ask what she can't do, because he roughly pulls her with him back into the room that they had been in, before they came out for the disruption. She doesn't even bother to close the door behind her, because she doesn't want to be in a closed space with Damon.

'Very clever, Bonnie!' he immediately starts like he is the victim. 'Whatever _this_ is, you're not leaving me alone with it. You need to explain what's going on.'

He's incredible, and she means that in the most negative way there is. He's seriously going to stand there, have hold of her arm this tightly, look into her eyes with fake wonder, and blame _her_ for this? He's totally incredible!

'Me?' she cries the question out.

'Yes, _you_ miss, 'I just felt incredible magic.'

'Please,' she shoots back, 'if anyone is responsible for this, it's _you_. I mean,' she tries to pull free from his grasp, but he doesn't budge in letting her go, so she says, 'Let me go.'

Thankfully, he listens to her, letting her arm free. Curiously, for someone that wanted to be let go of, instead of stepping away from him, she steps closer into him as a way of challenge and to have a lot of an up-close view of his sneaky face and eyes.

'You're the one who came here,' she starts to remind him, 'pretending you care enough about me to randomly bring me coffee. What guarantee do I have that you're not responsible for that group of kids, and you need me to clean up your mess?'

Like she thought in the beginning, there could be a number of reasons that those kids out there are here, and although she's chosen to believe it as a tasteless joke, knowing Damon and how he always needs her help, it's more likely that she needs to fix what he can't fix by himself.

It's funny how that always works with Damon, she takes a brief second to wonder, he can get himself into messes by himself just fine, but when it comes to resolving them, he always needs the help of someone or other. And these days, since their stint in the Prison World, she's primarily the person that he comes to for any and every little one of his self-made messes.

Making it seem like a reflex response to her accusation, Damon gives off a long laugh, one which she's come to know as disbelieving.

'Kids, Bonnie?' he pulls a confused face. 'Really? There's no way on Earth, that I would get involved with kids. They're pests, and sticky and most importantly, _annoying_.'

Okay, she'll except that the thing about him getting involved with kids is true, but still, whatever he did, could've indirectly brought them here to them. Of all the times and places that she children could've appeared, they spontaneously just happened to end up here? That's a bit too convenient, she thinks.

'I don't care,' she tells him straightforwardly. 'Just stay away from me, Damon.'

She will not be a part of this. Like her life is not a struggle as it is. No, she won't continue to stand here and allow the small opportunity to sway her decision, present itself. The way she knows Damon, he can be very persuasive, but more than he can be persuasive, she's still got to teach herself to not soften to him. Her softness towards him, is what's always won over by his persuasiveness. If she didn't have a soft spot for him, she would stay longer to tell him that she won't help him with this at all.

With that thought, she turns her back on him and begins to leave, only, at the door, the kid with the baby in her arms enters before she can leave, carefully closing it behind her.

'Mom?' the kid asks as if to ask what is going on.

Just…

She carefully looks at the kid, doing her utmost best to avoid looking the baby in her arms, because… Should she try to get to the bottom of this, at least?

'What are you?' comes out of her mouth before she can stop herself.

Clearly, the kid is human, or so it seems, but still…

'I'm your daughter,' the girl answers her evenly. 'We really are your children, and you're really our parents. Grandma warned me that it would be better for all of us if we stayed in the past with her, but I know that Flora, Ethan and Nice, and even Dean need you.'

That's something, Bonnie thinks, the way she just excluded herself from needing her so-called parents. It easily gives of the picture of someone who is more interested in looking out for her siblings, than worrying about what it could mean for her. For someone so young, that shouldn't be a responsibility that she should carry. Although, in this case, it makes sense for her to be concerned about her siblings like this.

However, as lightly admirable as the girl might be, Bonnie still can't find it within her to want to believe that she's mothered five children. It's just impossible, and with Damon Salvatore, no less.

'I don't have children,' she tells the kid as plainly as she can.

It's that the kid looks so sure of what she's saying, of everything she's saying, which makes it seem like the kid believes that lie as well. Either that, or she's just an awesome actress.

'In the past, you do,' the kid answers, 'and we're them. If you don't believe me, you can do a spell, or even contact Grandma in the past.'

It's only at this point, that Damon joins them at the door, taking his place beside Bonnie, to curiously ask, 'And who exactly is Grandma?'

Bonnie looks at him. _That's_ what he wants to know? In the unlikely event that he has nothing to do with this, _that's_ the question that's burning the most in his mind? She wonders why, because said 'Grandma,' can either only be his mother, Lily, or her mother, Abby.

'Abby,' the girl easily lets out, 'Grandma Abby.'

Huh.

That really hit her in way that it shouldn't have. She knew the answer would only be one of the two options, however, she didn't expect it to be Abby. Basically, she eyes the child carefully, what this child is saying, is that Abby _is_ or _was_ a part of her life in the past?

That's absurd. So absurd that it's starting make her sweat from the inside.

'Look,' Bonnie breathes out, mostly trying to calm herself, 'I don't know who you are, where you came from, what your purpose is, or who sent you, but I _do_ know that I have class in twenty minutes, so I have to go. Please move.'

Gosh, a small, small part of her longs to see that, to see what the kid said, to actually have it be true, because she wouldn't object to having a relationship with her mother… It's the reason that she's starting to shake…

'Woah, woah, woah,' Damon stops her from making to leave, by placing a hand on her shoulder. 'Bonnie, now let's not be rash. Let's hear the kid out.'

Sharply, she faces him in disbelief. How much more selfish can he get?

'What are you doing, Damon?' she demands to know.

He should just come right out and confess his involvement in this, because she can't take it anymore. She'd rather that he tells her the truth, than try to sweet talk her into helping him deal with this.

'I'm just saying,' he softly argues. 'Let's hear the kid out. I mean, when I think about it, that boy out there kind of reminds of my brother a little bit.'

 _A little bit_ , she notes, that's his way of saying that he can't deny the resemblance if he wanted to. It's also his way of asking her to just…

'You always said that Uncle Stefan looked like that as a kid,' the girl says with a smile in her voice, making both of them turn to her. 'Ethan adores you, Dad, and he kept asking about you. They all asked for you guys. They don't understand what it means to die, and I told Flora that it's to go to a different place. She's really naïve and innocent, so she believes me. Please don't make me return with them to the past, especially now that they've seen you.'

For the second time, Bonnie observes, for someone who says that they are thirteen, she sounds quite mature and in control.

'Mia?' Damon softly says her name. 'That's your name, right?'

'Yeah,' the kid smirks. 'Mom chose it. You wanted Pearl, but gave in to Mia anyway.'

Ever so softly, Damon nods as if to say that he can believe that. Bonnie can't quite place her finger on it, but somehow, it seems like Damon just changed towards the girl. If it's a true reaction, it can only be the result of the even plea that the girl made to them.

She, on the other hand, is currently more concerned with the girl's name, that _she_ apparently chose. Mia. That's such a plain name for her to apparently have selected. She couldn't have chosen that name, because if she ever had a child, she'd go for something like Celeste or Constanza; she's always loved those two names.

Pulling Bonnie out of her thoughts, and possibly for her attention, the girl calls, 'Mom?'

'Please stop calling me that!' she uncharacteristically snaps.

Wow, she didn't realise that this had gotten this deep into her, that she got to this point of snapping so suddenly. She instantly regrets doing that, as it had not been her intention, and she immediately wants to take the words back.

There's slight hurt that appears on the girl face, which mostly makes her want to do a spell to rewind to the second before she snapped, but she knows all too well, that she can't take back the words that she said. They've been said and heard, now all that remains, is apologising for their unintended effect.

'Look,' she apologetically breathes, 'I'm sorry, okay? You just randomly showed up and started calling me Mom. How do you just expect me to accept all of this?'

She still doesn't know what this is, whether it's a joke, or real, or a trick. She doesn't anything about that, she only certainly knows that apparently this whole situation has settled into her system in an uncomfortable way, and she doesn't appreciate that.

'But you always believe me,' Mia says to her.

Even if that's true, Bonnie thinks, she said it herself, it's the past self that has children, not her, here in the present.

'Mia,' Damon gently says to her, 'go back outside. I'm going to talk to her for a minute.'

Mia looks hesitant enough. She must be worried of something, of possibly being rejected and being forced to return to the past with her siblings like she doesn't want to.

'Trust me,' Damon assures her, and she seems to believe him, because she leaves, closing the door behind her.

After that, Damon takes Bonnie by surprise, when his hands cup her face between them. She wouldn't have expected it of him, because yes, they have a steady relationship, but this new way that he's touching her, it just seems too different for them, and way out of the context of what their relationship is really all about. The gentleness with which he's holding her face, unnerves her more than the sudden presence of their so-called children did.

'Bonnie, listen,' he starts soothingly. 'I know it's out of the blue and crazy, but they're just kids.'

She only looks at him while she waits for the rest of his point to come out of his mouth.

Seeing that she won't give him a response, he continues with, 'They're probably just an illusion anyway, so please…'

Please what? Accept them? Believe them? She's a college student for the love of something. She's just come from a pretty hectic and horrifying experience, and she's still dealing with the after effects of that. So, if this parent thing is even remotely true, how can she fit kids into the mess that is her life?

'Bonnie,' he tries, 'I swear this has _nothing_ to do with me. I admit that I did come here to butter you up a bit, but _I swear on my life that this has nothing to do with me_.'

'So what do you want from me, Damon?' she gets out of her mouth. 'What am I supposed to do? Just believe them? Change my life for them? Take them to my house and play Mom to them?'

Putting on a considering expression, Damon shortly supplies her with, 'When you put it like that, it sounds almost as crazy as the idea of me and you having kids by each other. Although,' he adds thoughtfully, 'the 'first generation Salvatore witches with Bennett blood' thing does sound like me.'

She almost smiles, _almost_ , because that is really true. That does sound like something that he would say and brag about.

Just then, after saying that, he frees her face, stepping back too. Like that, she knows that he's giving her room to decide whether or not to trust him. The least she can do for him, if he's being this considerate, is afford him a small bit of that same courtesy and allow room for believing him in her heart. However, she has to make absolutely sure that he's clear of all of this.

'You swear this has nothing to do with you?' she asks, hoping for nothing but the truth from him.

'On Elena's life,' he immediately answers, 'because apparently, you don't believe that I love my own life enough to swear on it.'

That's enough for her, she supposes. If he can swear on Elena's life, then it is true that he has nothing to do with this, that he's just as clueless as she is in all of this.

'So,' she exhales, 'what do we do?'

'Well, you-'

'No way, Damon!' she quickly counters. 'I'm not dealing with this alone. You can't just pep talk and reason me into this, and then withdraw yourself from the equation.'

If that's how this is going to be, then she'll withdraw herself out of the equation too.

He smirks just right, to say that she has little faith in him. 'I was going to say that _you_ , attend your class, while _I_ interrogate them a little bit.'

Oh, she relaxes.

'I think I'll take them to a park,' he explains himself, 'load them with lots of sugar to drug them up, and then get the juice.'

That is _so_ him, she thinks, willing herself not to smile at that. He probably believes that's the best idea in the whole world.

'I would normally think of that as disturbing,' she seems to disagree with him at first, only to continue with, but… I don't think anyone should see you with them, so…'

She can't believe she's about to say this, but-

'I think you should take them to my house, and I'll meet you there when I'm done. Deal?'

'Deal,' he instantly agrees with a dazzling smile.

* * *

Chapter 3, **Change My Life.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, **Change My Life.**

* * *

Never in her life has she ever wanted a class to be over more than right now, that she's the first one to fly out of the door as soon as the professor excuses them. She mostly thinks that she has to be losing her mind, for being this anxious.

Maybe she shouldn't have allowed Damon to talk her into giving those kids a chance, because now she's starting to doubt her own sanity. It wasn't so much a problem doubting her sanity when she was alone in the Prison World, but being back around people, she can't really afford to worry if she's losing her mind.

No, now she definitely knows that she shouldn't have allowed Damon that opportunity, but then again, she's familiar with this type of thing with Damon, so she's not all that sure that she would've been able to get out of it anyway. The truth is, she always does this, she always allows Damon to smooth talk her into strange situations, as if she's powerless to firmly state her disapproval. Ever since she returned from the Prison World, she hasn't had any rest from Damon and his endless list of requests, and now on top of the Lily drama, he talked her into adding kids in the mix?

Just how in the world? And why her?

Of all the people in the world, why her? For once, why can't she just live a normal extremely boring life, where the biggest danger that she could face by far, is a boring lecture at school? Seriously, why her? She's still dealing with her hatred for Kai, and the little triggers that set her off into internal panic mode… Heck a part of her still even thinks that it's all a dream, what she's living, and that she hasn't really left the Prison World. So why on Earth would she want to deal with children? Five, at that.

'Hallo, Bonnie.'

That tone.

Stilling in her steps, she's got a very good hunch who that voice belongs to, because she's heard it before. Never mind the owner of the voice, though, it's the tone that gets her stomach falling a deep way into her intestines.

Great, she briefly closes her eyes, who else is going to corner her and ask her for something impossible today? And at school, even.

'Hallo,' she replies tentatively after opening her eyes.

In order to confirm that it really is Lily Salvatore waiting for her in the plain hallway, she looks up. One look at the woman's face, is all she needs to know that she no doubt wants the same thing that Damon wanted. Her help. For something ridiculously dangerous.

'I'd like to talk to you,' Lily says politely, barely taking a step towards her, 'if you don't mind.'

All of a sudden, Bonnie feels like she's in a game of target catch. She feels like whatever she says without thinking, or too eagerly, will trap her inside a place that she really shouldn't be in.

The thing is, she does mind talking to Lily, as a matter of fact. Not only does she have Damon and five children waiting for her at her house, she generally doesn't have the time to entertain new problems, when she already has plenty of current ones.

'If I said that I _do_ mind,' she presents to her friend's mother, 'would that make a difference?'

To her answer, Lily smiles softly as though it doesn't bother her one bit.

She's so soft, Bonnie takes note of. In speaking, in her mannerisms, she's extremely soft, like a lady of class; Lady Lily, if she so willed to be called. Bonnie would completely fall for that softness of hers, if it weren't for the fact that she has freak friends trapped in a Prison World, that she wants to free. Now, Bonnie has no hatred for anyone trying to help their friends, but the fact remains that no one trapped in a Prison World –deliberately, that is- is to be taken lightly.

'I'm not going to force you to talk to me,' Lily tells her just as softly as her smile had been, 'but I was hoping that being my son's friend, you wouldn't refuse talking to me.'

Woah! Bonnie can't help it pull a face at that. Why did that just sound like a threat? Obviously, it didn't sound like the, 'I will beat you if you don't,' threat, no, it sounded more like a, 'You'd do well to impress me,' sort of threat. And here Bonnie thought that she's losing her mind, when there's a crazy lady right in front of her.

'I'm not Elena,' comes out of her mouth before she has a chance to think about letting it out.

Even though she didn't mean to say it aloud, she still means it, and no, she doesn't regret saying it. It's the simple truth, that Elena is the one who should be doing the sucking up to Lily, her prospective mother-in-law, not her. She has no business trying to get Lily to like her, because her relationship with Damon doesn't depend on Lily.

'I beg your pardon?' Lily asks, her soft expression cracking just a little.

'I have somewhere to be,' Bonnie chooses to say this time, 'and it's very urgent, so maybe I could talk to you another time.'

Lily looks taken aback by the revelation, because she lets out a quietly surprised, 'Oh,' before she goes on to ask, 'Are you perhaps meeting with Damon?'

'Damon?' Bonnie plays dumb.

The last thing that she needs is for Lily to know that she is going to meet Damon at her house, where five kids claiming to be his, also are. The complication that it could bring and the headache that it cause, are not things that she particularly wants to welcome in her life at the moment.

'My son, Damon,' Lily nods curtly, 'yes. Are you meeting with him?'

'Why would you think that?' she asks through a frown.

When the immediate answer that Lily gives her, is a pensive look that doesn't say more than it does. If she cared, Bonnie would wonder what's going on in that head of hers, but as it is, the only thing that she cares about, is not making herself available to suspicion. She really can't afford for Lily to question her suspiciously.

'It was simply a question,' Lily says with a smile. 'I've come to notice that he's rather selective of what he shares about you. That's all.'

Whatever that means, she mentally dismisses, but to Lily, she says, 'Uh, right… I'm going to go now.'

'All right,' Lily easily accepts. 'Until we meet again, Bonnie.'

Hopefully not soon, Bonnie thinks to herself once she starts to pick up her steps towards exiting the school altogether. Her steps, she takes normally, expect, in her mind, she's cautiously attentive to the worry that lily has decided to follow her. If she gets the slightest feeling that Lily's tailing her, she'll redirect to another place, she swears.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

Where she walked out of the school building normally, just mentally cautious, into her house, she steps in cautiously. Not only is she mentally worried that one of those children will jump out of nowhere, and then attach themselves to her leg before dragging her back to the Prison World, she's also worried that she'll walk into something disturbing.

'Damon?' she cautiously calls as she slowly closes the door behind her.

Surprising her, Damon comes out instantly, appearing close to her in a short amount of time, that she involuntarily backs into the door, for what her subconscious is telling her, is safety.

'Hey,' he welcomes her.

'Where are they?' she asks in a whisper.

Her whisper, is a subconscious thing, that is really a hope, of discovering that there are no such thing as five kids that randomly showed up, claiming to be hers.

'Eating,' he jerks a thumb towards the kitchen. 'The baby's sleeping, though.'

Sleeping. The baby's sleeping. So why does she have the sick feeling that the baby's sleeping on _her_ bed? She doesn't use it since she stays on campus anyway, but still… She'll leave that for later. For now, her interest should be focused on the four that _are_ awake.

'Eating what?'

'Food,' is his answer.

'I know that,' her voice rises from a whisper. 'What I want to know, is why they're eating in here, my house?'

Damon just shrugs like he sees nothing wrong, like she does. 'You said to bring them here.'

He's acting so calm about this, she observes. He doesn't look the least bit bothered that this crazy thing is going on. It makes her very irritated with him, that she pushes herself off the door to stand close to him.

'Are you serious, Damon?' she starts through gritted teeth. 'I seriously don't even need this right now! I seriously don't. My life's a mess already, and you'd know that if you actually bothered to really ask me how I am. I just don't need this, Damon! There's you, there's your mom, there's Kai, there are those kids, and nobody is here for me. I'm just tired. Why should I always help people and risk my sanity and life? I'm not doing this, Damon. I don't want anything to do with those kids. I don't care if they are real, an illusion, a test or a foreshadowing sign. I just care that you get them out of my house and disappear.'

Only after she's said all that, does she stop to think that she didn't exactly mean to let all of that come out. It's just like with Lily, when she just spoke her mind without thinking, and the same, that now that she's said it, she doesn't regret it one bit. She needed to get it out and she did.

'Okay, hold it,' Damon frowns right before using his right hand to push her back against the door.

He keeps his hand on her chest, to secure her there, she guesses, because next he says, 'You're acting psycho crazy right now, Bon-Bon!'

'Psycho crazy,' she murmurs, unable to believe that he's seriously thinking that about her.

She's anything but crazy. In fact, she's well within her rights to express her feelings, and not be ridiculed or called crazy because of it.

'You promised to hear them out,' he reminds her. 'So, yeah, psycho crazy is what you are right now. They're kids, Bonnie. If you kick them out, where the hell else are they supposed to go?'

 _He_ wants to get upset? Is that a joke?

'Last time I checked,' she fiercely replies, not losing eye contact with him, 'you had a boarding house with plenty of room.'

'Don't be stupid, Bonnie!' he cries, bringing his face closer to hers. 'I can't take them there.'

Because of his answer, she lets out an amused laugh.

'But I can keep them here?' she challenges. 'You have a reputation to uphold, and most importantly, you can't risk Elena finding out that _you_ have possible children with _me_. I know I'm not wrong, so don't even...'

Surprisingly, he doesn't.

She would've expected that he attempt to say some half-witted, half-lame thing about how wrong she is, and it's not like that, only, Damon stays absolutely silent, with his eyes being the only things talking to her; telling her that no, she's not wrong.

If only the answer that his eyes gave her, didn't feel like a faint stab…

'I get it,' she says, pushing his hand off her. 'I can do just about anything that screws up my life, to make other people's lives easier, because I'm Bonnie. But you know what, I actually expected better from you, Damon. I thought you cared about me, but this day has done just right, to show me your true colours where I'm concerned.'

She feels the faint stab within her, yes, but she refuses to use any of her energy to be angry or disappointed in Damon. He's not worth it, apparently, according to what this day has taught her. She can't use her energy to feel some type of way for someone like that.

'Forget about it,' she shakes while shaking her head. 'I'll figure out what to do with the kids. You don't need to worry about it anymore. It's not like you did, anyway.'

'Bonnie…' he calls her name like he's warning her to stop.

'Damon, leave. Please,' is all that she replies with and then steps back to open the door for him.

She manages to decently open the door, even while still facing him, and when she feels it's enough for him to go through and, he forcefully pushes it closed with his hand.

'Leaving would be too easy,' he tells her. 'I kind of believe them, and you might not believe me, but… They just want _me_. I don't have to deserve them, Bonnie, those kids just want me, and right now, I want to cling on to that.'

What? Is Damon somehow trying to use those kids as a distracting replacement for the fact that Elena forgot him? If he wants to cling onto the love that those kids have to give him, in an unconditional way, as a way of making up, for the love that he feels he has to work for, to get back from Elena, then...

'Also,' he says quietly, interrupting her thoughts, 'I'm not going to be my parents, who ran away. We can't be those people, Bon. Think whatever you want of me, but we can't be our parents, and mess those children up by not wanting them. I'm not leaving.'

Maybe, she has it all wrong about him, then? Og, she just doesn't know what to believe and do anymore.

* * *

Chapter 4, **Disappear.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, **Disappear.**

* * *

In another situation, with another person, he would take her attack personally. He would internalise the fact that she is asking him to leave, right after she practically accused him of not caring enough to ask her what she's been through since she's been back. He would be in different sort of mood by now, and he wouldn't be trying his best to keep her sane, to keep her with him.

But this is not a different situation, and this isn't happening with another person.

It's him and Bonnie, and that requires according action, which is him pushing and pushing until he finds the middle ground between them. Sure, he's somewhat frustrated with her, and he wants to shakes her a little bit to bring her to her senses, but overall…

'I'm not leaving,' he repeats clearly.

Damn it, he thinks, desperately looking at her, it's like she doesn't know who he is. It's like she didn't spend ample time with him, to know how he really deals and what he hides behind. She should know better than to accuse him of not caring enough to enquire about it… It's frustrating a little to him, and now she wants him to leave, like he's any which person in her life.

She says nothing to him as a responsible, although her demeanour does significantly drop to a tamed reaction.

'Bonnie,' he exhales, 'listen to me, this concerns me too. And I _want_ to be here.'

She can think all that she wants about him, and even make false assumptions, but at the end of it all, he wants to be here. He wants to get to the bottom of this thing with the kids and have some type of… He doesn't know what he ultimately wants, except that he does want to be here.

'Damon…' she brokenly gets out of her mouth.

Like that, she reminds him of that one unpleasant time when she picked Kai's side over his in the Prison World. When she closes her eyes, as though she's going through something internally painful, he's immediately transported back to that time. Because the slight feelings of betrayal from that time also come to his memory, he almost leans his face towards her face to touch any part of her with his nose, to beg her not do that to him again. A part of him also wants to help her weather whatever internal pain she's going through, but she opens her eyes just then, and speaks.

'We need to talk,' she says.

That isn't what he'd been expecting to hear, so naturally, taken off guard, he isn't able to do anything more than look at her.

'We _really_ have to talk,' she says a bit more clearly, almost urgently. 'We really, really need to talk. Just you and me.'

That, sounds like a very good prospect.

He won't even lie, he likes the idea of just the two of them talking, like old times. At the thought, inside him, he feels positive that just the two of them talking, will bring back a good sense of familiarity between them, that might just reconcile them in the way that they should be reconciled. Heck, he's even hoping for a chance to explain himself on the whole Lily and ascendant thing that had them falling out this morning, but there's something more important here, that has more urgency than the two them talking to each other.

'The kids, Bonnie,' he reminds her as he takes a step back from her and the door.

He is a lot of things, but he can't just leave those kids. The reason that he's refusing to leave, is because of them; they are just kids.

Bonnie doesn't immediately answer him. Instead, she looks at a spot ahead of her, and then returns to her current self, promptly communicating that she has no certain idea of what she's supposed to do, what the right thing to do would be for her. Well, he can help her with that.

'There's a baby sleeping, Bonnie,' he tells her as a way of giving her a reason to consider staying here with the kids. 'We _can't_ just leave them.'

'I know that,' she replies a little too coldly.

Looking at her deeply, he thinks that she can be resentful all she wants, but he will _not_ let this go.

'Do you also know that we need to talk to them?' he asks.

'Fine,' tightly comes from her.

Following her tight remark, she pulls in a sharp breath and then lets her breath out just as quickly, before she brushes past him and starts making for her kitchen.

He silently follows her to the kitchen, bracing himself for whatever sudden reaction to her impulsive decision, she could give him. Who knows, she might just change her mind at the last second, and then turn back, and he wants to be ready for that. Fortunately, she seems to be determined enough, as she does make it to the kitchen entrance and stand still there. He takes that position of hers, as an opportunity to station himself directly behind her. In the event that she decides to take flight, he'll instantly react to stop her from doing so.

'There they are,' he says softly to her.

He's going to assume that Bonnie's seeing the same thing that he is, from the door, but he can't imagine what she must be thinking about it. From the fact that Mia adding pizza slices onto three plates for all the other kids, to the fact that four very alive kids are sitting around in her kitchen like they belong there, Damon can't begin to imagine what she may or may not be thinking.

'I see them,' she responds.

Before he even has the chance to try and figure out what tone she used and what she could mean by it, Mia looks up and catches sight of them.

'Mom,' Mia acknowledges.

At the mention of the word, 'Mom,' the other kids look up from their plates. And it's the way that the little kids' faces light up, that has him almost sure that they will repeat what Mia just said. They surprise him, however, when they only simultaneously wave towards them, before returning their attention to their food. The other kid, Flora, doesn't call for them either, she only smiles and then goes back to waiting for her pizza.

Huh, he thinks with a faint smile, it seems like they got all the greetings and welcomes out of their system that first time on campus. Kids are such wonders, he realises. How they can just adapt and accept without making things complicated, is something that he wishes he could have a dose of. Definitely.

'So...' he tentatively starts, 'Are we going inside or what?'

'Is that pizza?' Bonnie asks out of the blue.

He's just about to ask her why she's asking that, like pizza isn't edible food, when Mia gets into this visibly defensive stance, points a finger at him, and then says, 'He said it was okay.'

Way to blame him, he mentally snorts. What was he supposed to do, let them starve? Pizza was the fastest thing that he could think of, plus Bonnie warned him not to get them sugar, so really, what was he supposed to do? Funny enough, though, he's not upset that she's putting all of the blame on him. He's nowhere near being upset, in fact, which is interesting. It's interesting when he considers that he'd previously never allow someone to blame him, without him trying to talk the blame off himself.

'Fine,' he accepts the blame, 'I didn't know what else to give them.'

'I don't care about that,' Bonnie mutters to him.

Then why did she bring it up? That's his immediate thought, and as he thinks that, he begins to see Mia's face change. He wouldn't ever say that Mia or any of the other girls look like Bonnie exactly, but with this new facial expression on Mia, he'd be in deep denial if he sad that Mia doesn't resemble Bonnie. Bonnie when she's trying to hide her true feelings, that is. The kid was clearly stung by Bonnie's response, and she's trying to hide it.

'Well,' Mia strongly says, 'I was just telling you, because you don't usually let us eat pizza on Thursdays.'

That's another interesting thing, he notes. This child is actually talking like they all have a life together. An organised established life.

As Damon Salvatore with a reputation in town, the one thing that he does know, is that he likes the idea of people looking up to him. Just the way that she assigned blame for the pizza to him, and just now, how she pointed out that in life, there are rules that they follow, set by their parents, he feels looked up to. It may not make direct sense to think like that, but these kids make him feel like he's part of an effortless unit where each member, especially him, is important. As Damon Salvatore with a reputation in town, that is something way important to him, disregarding the fact that the kids are supposedly his with Bonnie. Not Elena. The fact that the children just want him, and he doesn't have to deserve their love, is important to him,and he likes that.

Bonnie on the other hand, he senses from her newly tensing body, doesn't seem to share the same thoughts as him. But the thing is, even though she doesn't share his immediate sentiments, he can completely understand her. They may be slightly similar, him and Bonnie, but they are different people, with different ways of dealing, so in that way, he can understand her immediate reluctance to accept all of this as something that is happening right now. And the one comfort that he can take from her in regards, is that he knows perfectly, that she doesn't really hate the children.

'Look,' Bonnie starts, 'can you tell your…' she gestures to the younger children while she trails off. 'Can you tell them to go somewhere else? We need to talk to you.'

Something about Bonnie's words apparently gets Flora attention, because she whips her head up, looks at Bonnie, and then at Mia, only to return her gaze to Bonnie.

'Is she in trouble?' Flora asks Bonnie, sounding as scared as she looks.

Instantly, Damon feels like something struck his chest. It's unbelievable how uncomfortable he feels looking at Flora, and seeing her look scared for Mia. It's like, he feels like... It's like Flora's fear, makes him uncomfortable to a point where his hands automatically grip Bonnie's arms to keep himself steady.

'No,' Mia answers, 'it's okay, Flora, I'm not in trouble. Mom and Dad just want to talk to me about school for you guys. Go eat in the living room.'

To his relief from the discomfort, Damon watches as Flora relaxes to the assurance. Clearly, there's trust between them, and that makes him feel better in a way. He's still a little apprehensive that Flora will get that scared look on her face again, but...

'Can we watch TV?' Flora asks Mia.

That's confirmation enough, he guesses, that Flora took Mia's word for it. He's glad, although, he doesn't release Bonnie from his hold just yet.

'Can they?' Mia directs to both of them.

'Sure,' they answer together.

* * *

Chapter 5, **Empire.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, **Empire.**

* * *

Damon has always liked to look at Bonnie.

Since the beginning of time, when they informally met, and then were formally introduced, he's liked to look at her. Anyone could call him a creep for doing something like staring for far too long at one singular person, but Bonnie is and always has been one of those people who talk with their faces. The catch, though, is that while yes, she speaks with her face, it's only in a fleeting way, so that anyone inattentive, wouldn't be able to catch her unspoken words, before she rearranges her face to pretend mode.

This time is no different. Right now is no different.

Not only is it no different that he still likes to look at her, her reaction is also no different than the other times. Aside from liking to look at her, right now, he genuinely wants to look at her, to read her before she says anything to Mia. He wants to look at her, just to be prepared for what she's most likely to say to the girl waiting for them in the kitchen. If she's going to say something mean or dismissive of everything going on here, he has to have a response ready, to counter it, or make her stay.

'This is hard,' Bonnie finally says.

Damon, who is looking at right her, didn't manage to catch a change in expression, that gave her true feelings away beforehand, which forces him to believe that the tiredness in her tone, and the softness in delivery, is how she truly feels about the situation.

'There's just so much…' Bonnie continues, rubbing a hand over her forehead. 'I mean, there's just so much that has happened, and I don't know what to deal with anymore.'

There it is, Damon feels his compassion automatically come out for her. There's what it truly is for Bonnie. She hasn't truly been rejecting these children (if she had, she wouldn't have told him to bring them to her house), it's simply been about the fact that she has had her whole controlled and divided for a long time. Knowing that, Damon can't help himself, but move closer to her and take hold of her hand. Bonnie's different, he tells himself. She wouldn't just break down, if she didn't feel that weariness stemming from within, to have reached a level that she can't bear anymore.

'Let's just hear her out,' he encourages Bonnie.

Although she doesn't hold his hand back, she does turn to look at him with question. It's not the sort of question where she wants to know what he thinks he's getting her into, it's rather that question of permission; whether she should trust her gut and listen to what he is telling her.

'It's only listening,' he assures her as a way of answering her unspoken question.

She believes him, he observes, and not only that, she takes the first steps in going to join Mia at the table, that since he is holding her hand, he has no choice but to go with her. As she takes a seat at the table, because him taking a seat would essentially mean letting go of her hand and sitting a distance away from her, he rather chooses to stand next to her. That way, if she needs his support, he's right there next to her, holding her hand.

'I guess I just want to know what happened,' Bonnie directs to Mia.

'We lost you guys,' Mia starts to tell her, 'and it was hard for _them_. I thought I was doing the right thing by coming here, and… I didn't mean to…'

He should be looking at Mia who is speaking, but he finds that reading Bonnie is really important in this moment. It's not only that Mia more or less gave him a rundown of how they got here, it's also that Bonnie's reception to what she's being told, makes all the difference for all of them in the kitchen, heck, in this house of hers. She obviously has no clue, that her reception, is the most important in this whole matter, because if she knew, she'd obviously be sacrificing her fears and wants, so that the rest of them are taken care of.

Because he's intently looking at Bonnie, he notices how sympathetic she suddenly looks, towards Mia. He can't say, but maybe the apologetic note in Mia's voice, resonated something sort of kindred within her, which is why Bonnie feels some sympathy for the girl in front of her. The only downside to Bonnie feeling the sympathy, is how she closes her eyes, as if to say that she doesn't want that sympathy to override her rational sense, that should be trying to get to the real bottom of this situation.

'Are you sure that me and Damon are your parents?' she asks Mia once her eyes are open again.

Oh, this he wants to be looking at Mia for.

Thinking that, Damon rotates his head, to have the perfect visual of Mia for, and right away, almost like she has been waiting for the chance to do it, Mia reaches both of her hands behind her head, and unties her hair. While the hair does come loose from its tie, he notices that it doesn't immediately fall down, it rather just expands out and stands where it expands to. It must be why Mia uses one hand to hold the one side of her hair in place, while the other searches through the mass of black tightly curled hair.

Only a little, he's intrigued by her hair. It's not so much that her hair doesn't flow down in loose curls, it's rather that because he got to see Bonnie's natural hair in the Prison World, there's a difference in appearance. For example, Mia's hair has more defined curls than Bonnie's does, and that makes him curious a little. But anyway, even if he wanted more time to be intrigued by Mia's hair, Mia bringing forward a small clump of golden-white coloured strands from her mass of hair, kills that little bit of intrigue.

'That's our birthmark,' Mia says to them, her eyes looking their way through the hair obscuring her full face from perfect view. 'All of us have it, even Dean has it.'

Dean, Dean the baby? He has like no hair on his head. How can he have that? He's not saying that she's lying, but… He's a vampire with very sharp senses and he didn't see anything on that baby's head.

'That doesn't really prove anything,' Bonnie cynically says, to which Mia has a quick reply.

' _You_ had one in the past.'

There's that past thing again. He's really curious to know if by past, she means that actual past, or their future, but he's more curious to know something else first.

'Did I have one too?' he asks Mia.

When Mia shakes her head to answer him, he feels a little robbed of a fantasy that he never got to start in his head. He can't explain why it feels like that to him, but he does know that it makes him feel defensive enough to cover up that feeling left behind.

'That sucks,' he pretends to playfully say, 'because I would've made it look cooler.'

As a response, Mia instantly smiles at him, and he, for some reason, feels like it's a familiar thing between them. Really, he can't say how and why, but it feels to him, like she gets him, like she knows him, and appreciates him _that_ way, for being that way.

'Damon…' Bonnie warns for him to stop.

'Lighten up, Bonnie,' he shoulder bumps her. 'You have to admit, _that_ would look cooler on me.'

He's trying to make a joke about it, trying to jokingly tell her that she's stripping the moment of glory, but really, he just means to tell Bonnie to allow him to have a moment to bask in whatever that was between him and Mia. It was so long ago that he felt on the receiving end of a connection with someone, that he wants to savour it for a little bit longer.

'Don't tell me that, Damon, please,' Bonnie cries, abruptly pulling her hand from him. 'I just… This is hard for me, and I don't know if lightening up is something I can do right now.'

More than he feels stung by the fact that she just physically separated herself from his support, he reads on her face that she means more than what she said. Mia seems to see it too, because she quickly rearranges her hair out of her face and softly apologises to Bonnie.

'Mom, I'm sorry.'

'Could you please not call me that?' Bonnie tiredly requests, her head moving from side to side. 'I'm sorry, I just… It's Mia, right? Can you not call me that?'

The very first time that they saw the children, back at college, Damon had a slight problem with them calling him 'Dad', so he can understand why she feels a type of way about being called a mother, when she has never actually had children come out of her. Of course, she sometimes called herself Miss Cuddles' mom, but that was a stuffed toy who couldn't talk, and in comparison to real life people, there's a huge impactful difference.

'My name's Domiana,' Mia says. 'And that's all you ever call me. You never call me Mia.'

'Domiana…' Bonnie slowly tries for the taste of the name, whereas he's baffled.

What in the world name is Domiana? Domiana? Really? And now that he's thinking about names… That Nice name, what type of name is that?

'Okay, wait,' he puts a pause on whatever either girl was going to reply with, directing his full attention to Mia, 'whose idea was it to call you that?'

'Mom's,' she points to Bonnie as she shrugs. 'You wanted Pearl, but she won in the end.'

Now Pearl, Pearl sounds likeable. He can actually imagine himself telling Bonnie to name their child Pearl, and Bonnie giving him that pouting angry look, while insisting that Domiana was nicer and unique, and a lot closer to- And what in the hell is he thinking right now? Him and Bonnie discussing baby names? Really, it's _that_ easy for him to send his mind to that place without forcing it? He should snap out of this. He should totally ask another question before his brain leads him to more imaginary images of him and Bonnie.

'And Nice?' tumbles out of his mouth, without him realising that the very thing that he is trying to escape, is what he is digging into again. 'It was also her idea to call the kid Nice, right?'

At that, Bonnie sharply turns to him, demanding, 'Why would I name her that? It sounds like something that you would do.'

'Nice, really?' he frowns at Bonnie, a little offended that she would believe that of him.

Of the two of them, she is more likely to call their kid that. He's Damon Salvatore, why would he call his kid Nice? If he had to call her something daring, he'd call her Flame, or Thunder, at least.

'Yes, really, Damon,' Bonnie replies like she's partly amused. 'Remind me again what you wanted to name that stuffed giraffe from the supermarket?'

Pfft! That stuffed toy? She's really bringing 1994 business here? Pathetic attempt. It's not even relevant. What he did or didn't want to name that giraffe can't compare to naming a child Nice. Their daughter, no less.

'Just tell me, Mia,' he turns back to the girl, but keeps his finger pointed at Bonnie. 'It was her idea, right?'

Shaking her head, and showing a little smile, she says, 'Her name's Phoenice, but we just call her Nice, because she's nice. It's a joke kind of thing… But uh, Flora gave Ethan and Phoenice their names. I gave Flora her name. And the twins gave Dean his name, after their favourite dinosaur on TV.'

Wait. What parents are they, that allow their kids to name each other? Pretty cool, in his opinion, that he smiles at the revelation. It's a little unorthodox, but pretty wicked in truth. He means, what parents can brag that they allow their kids to name each other? Honestly, he thinks that he likes these kids even more already.

But then… He suddenly realises something. Between Bonnie testingly repeating the names of all of them in order, something is not right here. There are five children, four of them named the other, and Bonnie gave Mia her name, but he, the father of these children, didn't name one single child? How? Just how did that happen?

'So, wait…' he poses to Mia. 'You're telling me, that I'm the only one in the family who hasn't given someone a name?'

'You named our robin,' Mia says.

'And Robin's a what?' he cynically wants to know.

His guess is, Robin is a puppy. It's just like Bonnie to have a small puppy, and give him the responsibility of naming him. They've had at least two pet conversations in 1994, where she admitted that if they ever found a dog around town, he could name it, but she would have sole custody over it, because she didn't trust him to love it properly.

'Dad,' Mia giggles, ' _that's_ what he is. He's a robin bird. You and Flora found him when you were out flying one afternoon. She's the only one with that bird ability from you.'

'She can turn into a crow?' he immediately asks in impressed wonder.

Wow, that's something. To him, it really is. Passing something down to someone else? That makes him feel a different kind of important, that has nothing to do with bragging.

'No, a raven, actually,' Mia explains. 'And you named the robin, Gavin.'

'Gav-' he's about to express his dislike for the name, when Bonnie cuts them off.

'You guys…' is simply what she says, nothing more.

'What?' he asks, because he doesn't understand what she wants from them.

'Can we get back to the real topic?' she suggests. 'I want her to explain this to me.'

'I was going to explain,' Mia defends herself. 'I was going to tell you why you only ever call me by my full name. You always told me that as the oldest, I had to be responsible. You said that if you treated me like Dad does, like a little precious gift, you'd not be passing down anything to me. You said that as a Salvatore witch with Bennett blood, I'd have to be responsible, and always look out for my brothers and sisters, because anything, any bad person could come and threaten us at any time. That's something you've always focused on me with, especially when it came to doing my magic and looking after them,' she pointed towards the living room.

'You're a kid,' Damon tries to reason, subconsciously trying to defend her from Bonnie's pile of responsibility on her.

'That's what you say,' Mia calmly answers, 'but Mom was always strict to teach me that the world is unpredictable, and that she didn't want me to go through life unprepared like she did.'

To that, actually, hearing that line of reasoning, he immediately understands why there's such a mature side to Mia. He supposes that he immediately understands, because when he was younger, and their mother 'supposedly' died, no one had prepared him for that life, and he never really took care of his brother, when he would've liked to have done better for his brother. Touched, and feeling a little like gratefulness, he turns to Bonnie, to just admire her.

Bonnie looks touched too, only, she speaks her wonder, 'I taught you all that?'

'Yeah,' Mia nods. 'And… I didn't get tired of looking after them, Mom,' she tries to explain, looking down as if ashamed of herself. 'I just… You guys just left and never came back. Grandma had to tell me what happened, and… I couldn't tell them the truth.'

After hearing the first break in Mia's voice, Damon turned his attention back to her, and that is how he caught her looking down. It's only that seeing her like that, open and vulnerable in front of them, when she's been firm all of this time, makes him want to reach for her, but when he looks back at Bonnie to see if she's seeing the same thing, he finds that she appears to want someone to hold her.

What a mess, his head tells him. He wants to tell Mia that it's okay, but on the other hand, he doesn't want to leave Bonnie's side, because that could shift the slight balance that is between them right now. In the end, he decides to play it safe, and just keep his hands to himself.

'How did we die?' he asks Mia instead.

I don't know, but…' she shakes her head, 'That morning, we all went to school together. You, me, Flora and Mom. And then in the afternoon, after my third class, you and Mom came to me, telling me that you were going out of town to sort something out. Mom said that I should take care of all of them, and that you would be back in two days, but you never came back.'

Unsure of what to say to Mia, they both only look at her, waiting for her to say anything more, that she thinks is important for them to know.

'When grandma told me,' she continues, 'Flora overheard grandma, and she asked me if death is different for supernatural parents, and I said yes. She knows what death is, but she… You and Mom are always so super everything, you know, so she believed me when I explained a lie to her. I had to tell them that you guys were stuck in a place where you wanted us to come to you. That's why they all helped me with their magic, and I brought them here.'

So suddenly that it scares him a little, Bonnie suddenly gets up from her chair, and leaves the kitchen before he and Mia even have the chance to wonder if she really just got up.

'Dad…' Mia complains in a soft cry.

She doesn't need to say it. Oddly, looking at her, he can already tell that she's hurt by Bonnie's behaviour, and maybe, in her kid mind, she's thinking that Bonnie is upset with her for not keeping the responsibility that she was given. It pains him, really it does, to see someone so innocent, feeling like that, which is why he goes around to Mia and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'I'll talk to her,' he softly promises.

'You believe me, right, Dad?' she asks as he looks up at him, her eyes pleading with him more than her words do.

Honestly, he would like to say no, but he just can't. There are so many questions that still that need answers, the most urgent of them, _not_ being how he has five kids with Bonnie (because clearly he knows where babies come from), _but_ he believes her. Maybe, he's gullible, or even reaching, desperately looking for some way to just hold onto to something pure that he doesn't have to deserve, but damn, he believes Mia. He just does. And he lets her know, because it's obviously important to her.

'I believe you, Mia. And trust me, I'll go talk to her.'

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

Why specifically he finds her in her bedroom, staring at the bed, he can't immediately understand, but he shuts the door behind him anyway. He needs to have a serious talk with Bonnie, to make her see that she can't continue this way.

'Bonnie,' he starts walking up to her, 'you're hurting the kid's feelings.'

Only when he reaches her, coming to stand next to her, does she turn to him. On her face, he reads a look of disbelief, but also a lost look somewhere between the planes of her face and her eyes.

'Wow…' she partly scoffs. 'I can't believe this. I just…' her eyes get a faraway look in them, before she picks up again. 'This is… I'm still in school, Damon. I hardly know what I want to do after I graduate. I even can't take of myself after Kai, and now I have five children? That's like a whole empire of children. It's just so much.'

He understands where she is coming from, and he doesn't blame her for freaking out. She has been through so much, and like she said earlier, no one took it upon themselves to ask her how she's been handling being back, or coping at that. It's understandable, to him at least, why her first instincts were to reject the idea of more responsibility in her life. And because of his understanding, he simply touches her side, choosing that specific place for the right type of communication, and slightly moves his feet, so that he is facing her directly, instead of just being next to her. His personal touch, apparently does something to her, because comes out of that faraway and lost space, to look him directly in the eyes, while she rotates just like he did, to be face to face with him.

'Damon, this house only has three rooms,' she vulnerably reveals to him, 'and they are five kids. I don't have enough beds for them, even if they can share rooms. I don't have a crib for the baby. I don't have food for them. I don't have diapers for the baby. I don't have anything children friendly, and I just…' she sighs for a brief second and then continues with, 'I stay on campus. I'm not even sure I know how baby formula is made. Damon…'

The way that she sighs his name in a desperate plea at the end, reflexively makes him step into her, leaving almost no space between them, as his free hand navigates its way, to settle between the side of her face and her neck. He just feels that she needs all of him on this, not just his words.

'Hey,' he tries to coax, 'you're talking about things that can be dealt with, okay? You haven't mentioned anything so far, that we can't get for them.'

She looks at him, quietly so, as though she is struggling with accepting his words, and her defeating her own mind. Knowing that he shouldn't interrupt this moment for her, he also just looks at her, putting his everything into making sure that she can see it in his eyes that he is right here with her, and he won't let her go through this alone.

He means it, though, she hasn't mentioned anything so far that they can't immediately deal with. Had she said something about the Lily case, the Kai case, anything about Elena, or even how in the world they are going to start telling people that they, Bonnie and Damon, have five kids together, he wouldn't have easily said the same thing, because in those cases, it wouldn't just be about immediate solving. Those other cases would have repercussions and consequences, most likely not pleasant, so…

'I believe her,' she finally confesses after a while of looking at him. 'Deep down, I've always believed her.'

Still, he feels that he should allow her time to talk, without interrupting her, so he only caresses the side of her face, to tell her that he is listening to her. It must be why she picks up talking again.

'I'm just such a mess, Damon, you know? How am I supposed to take care of them? How will I do that properly? Damon, it's _not_ I don't want them…'

'I think I know you fairly well, Bonnie,' he agrees with her, that last part being enough for him. 'I know that we're the same in some ways, and that's why I can understand you. But like I said, we can deal with them, together. Heck, Bonnie, do you think I know the first thing about being a parent? But we'll figure it out.'

Silence is the only answer that she gives him.

'We will,' he promises, showing her a small smile of encouragement. 'But for now, I think let's get your immediate fears out of the way. Let's go shopping!'

Instantly, she seems amused at the idea, asking him, 'You _actually_ want to go shopping?'

'I'm feeling a little 1994 nostalgic,' he shrugs. 'There's nothing like you driving me crazy, while I _kindly_ , from the bottom of my heart, push the cart for you. Trust me, it'll help you relax'

Smiling, showing her appreciation, rather, Bonnie nods and then says, 'Okay.'

After that, taking him by complete surprise like she did in the kitchen (that he starts to wonder if it's a power that she magically has) she suddenly throws herself into him. The way that she firmly secures her arms around his neck, that even his hand on the side of her face is knocked down, makes their reunion embrace in the kitchen look like a pathetic attempt at showed emotion.

'I'm sorry about everything, Damon,' she whispers against his skin, the emotion penetrating through his skin, that he feels a shiver develop beneath his skin.

Only because he can't take the ripples of shivers running through his skin, he hastily pulls back from her, and takes her face in his hands.

'I need to apologise to you, and them,' she softly says to him.

It's her eyes, though, her eyes tell him so much more than her words do. They always have, which is why it's so easy to blame her eyes for the fact that looking into them, and receiving what he is from them, he isn't able to resist the strong urge to kiss her lips. In his mind, her eyes tell the story of a girl who needs that from him, for closer comfort to make her believe that it will be all right, while his lips simply want to kiss her, and so they do. Softly, and lingering for two seconds longer than they ought to, his lips press over hers.

Slowly, to give her time to adjust to the absence of his lips, he pulls back, and immediately goes for the cover of proposing something to her, as the alternative to just staring into her eyes, and being urged by them, to kiss her again.

'Hey, apologies later, okay? I have some of my own to make, so later.'

'Later,' she agrees with a relieved nod. 'But…'

'What?'

'Which of the five do we take shopping with us?'

Huh, that's a very good question.

* * *

Chapter 6, **First Day Of My Life.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, **First Day Of My Life.**

* * *

The worst is over now.

Or, at least, that's how he feels. He can't let out a big breath to show his relief, but he's glad to know that her immediate worries, are things that he can involve himself with solving. If it's a question about money, he's got her. If it's about needing someone with her for the first two days, he's also got her.

For a good while there, he had thought that he wouldn't be able to get through to her, that she would shut herself off from him, with the two main excuses of him not wanting to take the kids to his house, and Lily. He would've been stuck in a muddy rut otherwise, but this, her immediate worries, are okay.

This is okay.

'I say we take Mia,' he suggests to her question.

To him, it only makes sense that they take her. She's the oldest of all of them, she knows a lot about everything, plus, he just likes the girl (she has the best attitude about her), so taking her is better.

'And what do we do with the others, if she comes? Who will look after them? There's a baby, remember?'

'The baby, right,' he remembers, not that he had forgotten, though.

'Exactly,' she seems to be making a point, looking so very different from the Bonnie that had been about to break down a few minutes ago. 'We better talk to Mia about who goes.'

'Let's,' he agrees, following the lead that she has started taking with her feet.

Their whole walk back to the kitchen is in silence, and he wonders if he should feel glad that she has nothing to say, which possibly means that she has accepted what is going on, because he can't help it be a little scared that in the quiet, doubts may surface even louder than before. He thinks of starting an aimless conversation with her, just to keep silence away from her, but thankfully, in a what seems like no time, they arrive in the living room, to find Mia and the rest of the kids there.

'We're going to have to buy some stuff,' Bonnie quickly says to all of them. 'Are you guys supposed to come?'

Feeling a funny way about Bonnie's question, he looks at her for a moment. What? Name a kid who never wants to go out to a shopping place with their parents. Even he and Stefan grew up in a time where shopping malls were not a thing, but still even then, going to the market place with their mother was the best thing to do for them as kids. They got to see things, and they got more items than when their parents came home on their own… So, what's this question she's asking the kids?

'I'm staying with Dean,' Mia volunteers with a raised hand. 'But they,' she gestures to the others, 'can go with you. Ethan and Nice, you're going shopping with Mom and Dad, okay? You too Flora.'

After that, like her job is done, she takes off in the direction where he and Bonnie just came from, and his only guess is that she is going to literally stay with Dean, also putting every idea of her going with them, to death. What a girl, that Mia.

'But I don't want to go,' Flora protests. 'Why do I have to go?'

'Because Mom and Dad want you to go,' Mia says just loud enough for them to hear without her shouting about it.

'I still don't want to go,' she repeats, more with a sulk this time, but she gets up anyway. 'Come on, you two, I'll race you to the car.'

Either the prospect of driving in his car is exciting to them, or they, unlike Flora actually like shopping, but the twins jump to their feet, giggling in the process and start running to the door. For a minute, he just watches them scramble about to the door, Flora deliberately keeping her big steps slow enough to maintain at their pace, and making it out of the door with the thought of his car in their minds, but all with ease, as if this life is one they're used to, makes him feel something. He can't identify yet what that something is, so he looks at Bonnie to see if she feels the same way, but he only finds her looking lost.

Seeing her look like that, immediately pulls him out of his slightly warm, slightly fuzzy stomach feeling trance, to be once again worried that she's gone back to that place of not accepting the kids. He will have to act fast to reel her in and keep her with him.

'Bonnie, what are you thinking?'

'Your car… We can't take your car. It's too open. Too much wind.'

'We'll take your car,' he quickly offers, grabbing the opportunity to keep her with him. 'But I'm driving.'

Taking the new opening again, he takes off after the kids, making like Mia did, so that Bonnie has no chance to think that there's any way around it. Thankfully, like he hoped she would, she hurries after him, closing the door behind her and falling into step with him.

'I'm driving my own car,' she says.

He doesn't verbally argue with her about it, but no, she's not driving her own car. There's no way he'll let her drive.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

'We're here, kids,' he cheerily announces that, especially looking at Bonnie.

He's not always wanted to say something like that, but now that he's said it, it does sound like something that he's always wanted to say, but never had the chance to say it. It feels strangely good to have said that, and much more, because Bonnie in the passenger seat of her car, gives him a look that quietly tells him to, 'Please stop.'

'But we are here,' he tells her, to which she slightly rolls her eyes.

'I know,' she says, 'but you seem to be enjoying this, and that's what I mean. You should be worried about what we're getting.'

She should've thought of that, he thinks, although he says nothing to her. She was, after all, the one who had the worries about not having a house prepared for kids to live in, but anyway, that doesn't matter. He's here with her, and he'll help her. To start helping her, he turns to the kids in the back seats, pretending to assess their needs by looking at them.

'Hmm,' he acts like he's thinking, training his face to make a silly face, because all three of them are looking at him. 'Let's see…'

'Beds and clothes, Dad,' Flora says. 'Mia didn't let us bring our clothes, and she said this house is not like our house, it's different.'

'Beds and clothes,' he repeats to Bonnie over his shoulder.

'And food,' Bonnie adds, sounding urgent about it.

'What about the little ones?' he asks Flora.

He knows nothing about kids, but they must need special attention when it comes to items. From what he has observed of them, they do well together in keeping each other entertained, but maybe there is more that needs to be done and bought for them. Bonnie should know, seeing as all teenage girls go through a babysitting phase in their life, but he feels better asking Flora what the twins need.

'Did you forget us?' Flora asks him instead of answering him.

The frown on her face, seems to emphasise her feelings on the topic, because after hearing the question, Damon all of a sudden feels that he does not like the thought of Flora feeling like that. As if magically, he feels in the deepest part of his heart, that he can't bear to tell her the truth if it will make her feel worse.

'I didn't forget you, _Flora_ ,' he responds, caressing her name only to make her feel special and not forgotten.

'I heard Mia telling you…' she says accusingly. 'I can't shut it out like they can.'

'Can't shut what out?'

He asked that, because it's easier to redirect focus from the topic of being forgotten. With any luck, if Flora is ignored for just the right amount of time, she will lose interest and move on to the next thing. He can't say that he's an expert on kids, but how hard can they be, really? Their attention spans must be like… Tiny, he hopes.

'Damon,' Bonnie's voice sounds before Flora has the chance to answer, 'we need to get going. We have so much to get.'

'Ugh!' Flora pulls a half disgusted face, 'We're gonna be here forever. I hate shopping.'

'Most kids loving shopping,' Bonnie says, making him look at her for a change.

'I don't,' Flora replies. 'Only Ethan and Nice like shopping.'

Well then, here's a twist. The twins are his kind of crowd, while apparently, Flora is Bonnie's soul mate when it comes to shopping. She's most likely the kind of kid who knows exactly where everything in the shop is, so she heads straight for that section to get it; just like Bonnie.'

He looks from Bonnie to Flora, deliberately swerving his head to make fun of how interesting it is that Flora and Bonnie share this similarity. Once and then twice, he moves his head from Bonnie to Flora, and then only decides to assure the kid that shopping with him will be fun.

'We'll have fun, I promise,' he tells Flora, and to make sure that she doesn't keep that partly disgusted attitude while they shop, he adds, 'But if you don't like it, you'll never have to come back again.'

Thankfully, Flora automatically lights up at his suggestion, evidently liking the option of never having to shop again, but when she smiles and then opens her mouth to ask him something, he realises that she's excited for another reason.

'Can I do magic in the shops?'

Why, oh why, does he have a feeling that that is something which he especially allows her to get away with? Is it the hopeful look on her face, that makes him almost certain of that? Or is it Bonnie's goody-goody answer of a sharp, 'No!' that does it for him?

'Yes,' he mouths to Flora, only because he knows that Bonnie can't see him, and the prize of another smile that he gets from her, makes pissing Bonnie off worth it.

He could _so_ hi-five the kid right now.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

It was a wonder that the twins were dead silent in the car the whole time, even after he found a parking spot for them, and he and Bonnie were talking to Flora about what to get. He hadn't thought about it then, but when they are left the first ice-cream shop that they crossed, he fully understood that apparently, their pristine car behaviour whenever they travelled, always equalled to whatever ice-cream treat they wanted when they got to the mall.

He wouldn't even have called himself an ice-cream person, and yet, he also got a full order of ice-cream along with the rest of them. What's more, he found it fun –even Bonnie laughed at this whenever he did it, and the kids reacted- to playfully steal spoonfuls of ice-cream from the kids' bowls whenever they weren't looking, just in time to be caught by them when they were looking again. He found their innocent scolding and Bonnie's soft laughter, pleasing.

After they left the ice-cream place, they went through a few clothing shops, looking for items of clothing for each child. He found himself some shirts too, while Bonnie refused to get anything for herself, not even the cute party hooded dress that she eyed for a few seconds. It wasn't a painful process, going through clothes for kids, as much as he believed it would be, and weirdly, they didn't take too much time electing and paying for clothes, even for absent Mia.

Next, they went to the furniture store, for everything that they would need. Having Flora with them, was a great help, because while she quietly walked with them (when the twins animatedly walked in front of them, in their own world of excitement), she helped them out a lot with suggesting bed choices for everyone, right down to the crib for the baby, and the dinosaur shaped pillows for the twins, who would apparently not be able to sleep otherwise.

At long last, after all the clothes and beds are taken care of, they all walk into the biggest grocery store in the mall. It takes only two of his steps into the shop, for the twins and Flora to go running towards a cart. As quickly as they get to the cart, Flora lifts the twins into the cart, starts to push them into the first isle available to her.

'And she said she doesn't like shopping,' he comments in amusement as he watches them disappear from his sight.

'She probably just wants to sneak in all her favourite food,' Bonnie surprises him with her answer.

Well, not so much her answer as it is the soft, almost fond tone of her voice that she answers with. It's true that she hasn't been acting distant since they left the ice-cream shop, but this warm fondness is something to consider. He really wouldn't have thought it of her yet.

'Yeah,' he absently replies, leading with his feet for her to follow.

Knowing that they will eventually catch up with the kids, he maintains a slow pace for her to keep up with, at his side. It's that this is really the first time that they have to themselves since they got her with the kids, and it surprises him how glad he is to have just time alone with her, even saying and doing nothing. The kids, he likes, he really does, but Bonnie, he also likes, and having her to himself for a little bit is nice. It takes him back to their own 1994 supermarket days.

'Do you like them?' she suddenly asks from next to him.

That's so out of the blue, that he has to remember to keep his feet moving, so as not to prematurely stop his steps. He faces her too, just to make sure that she is really still the one walking next to him.

'The kids, you mean?'

'Who else, Damon?'

There's the Bonnie he knows, he softly thinks, adding a smile to agree with his thoughts. Snappy when unintentionally provoked, this is the Bonnie that he's somewhat been wary of since the entered the mall. What does he know, she's been here all along, evidently just waiting to have him to herself to show herself.

'I don't know, Bon. We did a lot of things today,' he chooses to mess with her a little. 'We got clothes and beds, which I paid for, by the way. We got ice-cream, and we're currently heading towards a shelf of toilet paper varieties, so when you think about it, your question is broad.'

'You know I'm talking about the kids,' she tells him shortly. 'And besides, you didn't really pay for that stuff.'

'Meh,' he dismisses, keeping his tongue out of his mouth for a little longer than necessary, to drive home his indifference. 'Same difference, putting them on my account.'

'An account you don't have,' she reminds him.

'I'll come back to pay for the stuff, geez! Bonnie, you drive me so crazy sometimes.'

'I wouldn't drive you crazy if you had let me pay for the stuff.'

'I don't use my money anyway,' he argues.

What's the issue if he wants to spoil the kids who like him and want him? There's also the part of the little guilt in him that he feels for refusing to take them to his house, but nah, that's second to wanting to spend something useful on those kids. It's only been an afternoon, but he could really get used to this life with them. It doesn't seem like it would be a bad thing to have tiny people think the world of him.

'Whatever,' she waves away as they round into the aisle with the kids. 'Just answer the question, Damon. Do you like them?'

'Yeah,' his answer comes out easily. 'Do you?'

'It's weird…' is her reply, her tone that softly fond one from before. 'I mean, I don't even know them, but I _kind of_ do.'

'What's there not to like? They're first generation Salvatore witches with Bennett blood. As I always say. Apparently.'

Looking at him for a beat, just that, she smiles, and damn, if he's messed up, he's messed up, but really, damn, their last day in the supermarket with Kai, when she smiled when he apologised for calling her the most annoying person in the world, is a total favourite memory of his since now. This smile is an exact replica of that one, and he can't look at that day the same again, now that he has this moment to attach it to.

He likes that she says nothing about the fact that they apparently have five kids, because it ultimately means that she knows it's true, even though she cannot find a reason as to how that could've happened. He also can't find the how they could have ended up a married couple in the past, a time before this one, but he can at least accept that they've had sex at least four times, to produce three individual kids and a set of twins.

And while he's on the subject…

'Hey…' he starts, 'About the boarding house-'

Stopping then to face him, Bonnie prevents him from saying more by speaking herself, 'I don't want to talk about that right now. A lot of people are over there, and I can't live through explaining to them that _we_ have children together. I'm not going to lie, all of this is something else, but I don't want to have to deal with the difficult stuff right now. Let's just get this done, and then we can figure out what to do after that.'

'I just want to-'

'It's fine,' she cuts him off again. 'Anyway, I'm going to make sure that they don't put in unnecessary stuff.'

After that, she quickly leaves him to join the kids. So as not to lose sight of them, he walks in small steps, distant from them, just watching them go about selecting items off the shelves. As he walks on, pays close visual attention to Bonnie's engagement with the kids, and in his mind, the only logical conclusion, is that she is explaining to them why they aren't allowed to take some things.

He would love to hear what they are discussing, only, between the other random sounds in the shop, the much too loud store music and the scraping of wheels against plastic tiles all over the shop, he can't make out distinct words, more than the sound of their voices. Nonetheless, he keeps his distance from them, losing sight of them when they turn into the next aisle, but he doesn't worry about it, because he will catch up with them anyway.

'Damon.'

Oh, the hell, no!

How he hopes with all of his strength that the voice belonged to someone else. If only Bonnie had done some of her magic, and was the one who called his name behind him, instead of his mother. He wouldn't have frozen for a second then, had it been Bonnie. His shock wouldn't have been a thing, and he certainly wouldn't be putting on a fake smile as he turns around to face his own mother.

'Mom,' he calmly acknowledges her. 'Are you following me?'

It wouldn't surprise him, not when he knows that she somehow cornered Bonnie at school. She's getting desperate, and desperate people have a way of doing stupidly desperate things.

'No,' she shakes her head, 'I would never do that.'

'Then how?'

'Oh, Damon,' she says, 'you look at me with such distrust. I saw you with Bonnie, and I thought I'd come to talk to you.'

Damn it! If she saw Bonnie, then she saw the kids, and she saw the kids, she must have at least heard them call him Dad here and there.

That's bad. So bad that he starts to think of reasons to give his mother when she brings up what she heard while she was spying on them. At all costs, he has to keep knowledge of the kids' true identities a secret, until he and Bonnie have figured out a way to deal with them. But in the meantime, if he can distract his mom from the kids, he'll try.

'Mom, Bonnie won't talk to you.'

Making an unclear gesture with her head, and then rolling her eyes some, she responds with, 'Clearly. She seems to be babysitting, and brought _you_ along for security.'

'I came because I wanted to.'

'I know,' she soberly says. 'I know that she's important to you, and you to her. Just like your friendship with her is special, that you'd share in babysitting duties, I need you to understand that I have special friends too.'

'Still with the ascendant, Mom?'

Because of her annoying pushiness, and also that he wants to be in his mother's good books, he would've gotten the ascendant for her by now, had someone else had it. If it would've meant stealing or fooling, he still would've done it, but not with Bonnie.

Bonnie is the one thing that keeps him from getting his mom what she wants. He doesn't so much care that her friends may be horrific creatures with iron rods sticking out of their skulls, he mostly only cares that he does an important service for his mom.

'I need my friends with me, Damon,' his mom seems to be pleading, or at least trying to appeal to his emotions. 'Stefan told me how you never gave up on bringing Bonnie back, so you have to understand me, Son.'

He does. Gosh, he does understand that, and to prove that, he moves closer to her, softening his expression while he does. He even touches her arm to show her that he understands that suffocating need to free a trapped friend.

'Mom, look,' he begins as sympathetically as he can, 'I want you to get your friends back, I do. But… Bonnie's not going to do it. I already spoke to her, and she won't budge. I know her.'

'Exactly,' she cries, her own hand clutching his arm fiercely, 'you _know_ her, so convince her to help me. I'm your mother, Damon. Help me, please.'

Does she have to sound like she is on the verge of crying? Does she have to make him feel like a bad son while doing it, making him believe that had Stefan been in his place, he would've helped their mom? He doesn't like feeling torn between two important people in his life. Although his mom is just now resurfacing in his life, she's still the woman whom he loved as a child.

'Mom…' he tries to make her understand. 'Bonnie… She's…'

'Just try, Damon. Please,' she silkily urges with her eyes looking right into him.

As she turns her back on him to leave, he finds himself almost mesmerised by what just happened, and for a little bit, he doubts his own sanity. His mind is going too far, and he is going crazy, because no, his mother can't just have compelled him. He's a vampire himself, and she can't be an Original… Even if she was, he wouldn't be wondering if he's under her will to do what she wants him to, would he?

Ugh! He's starting to lose his mind.

He better go after Bonnie and the kids, before he doubts even more of his sanity. Also, he doesn't want to give his mom the opportunity to corner him again, so he immediately goes to catch up with them. Joining the quiet noise of Flora talking to the twins, as she and Bonnie share in pushing the cart together, Damon begins to feel like this is the absolute first day of his life, his complicated life, that is. There's a persistent mother on the one side, cute kids on the other, Bonnie and all she is, on the third side, and then there's Elena.

'Is there anything you want?' she asks him, only slightly looking at him.

'I don't know.'

He doesn't know much of anything right now, except to keep walking and not give away that he just spoke to his mom. Anyway, he doesn't really need anything from the shop, except to leave it.

'Not even pancake mix?'

At this, Damon looks at her with surprise. She's still not looking at him, but that does not mean that she is not invested in this conversation with him.

'You hate pancakes, remember?' he tests for a reaction.

'You don't,' simply leaves her mouth like it's the easiest thing to do in the world. 'And the kids might not. It was just a question.'

'We'll get the mix,' he tells her. 'Did you get something for the baby and Mia?'

'What could the baby-?'

The abrupt way that she stops her sentence and then sharply faces him with widened eyes, would've made him a situation where part of his thoughts weren't still on his talk with his mother.

'You're right!' she says after a short gasp. 'The baby needs to eat. And Diapers. How could I forget that?'

'Relax, Bon,' he says, silently hoping that she doesn't start to externally panic about not being good at this, 'that's what I'm here for! I've got you.'

Her slightly watery green eyes look into his with soft gratitude, 'Yeah?'

He hopes, he thinks as his mom's similarly green eyes float before his own eyes. He hopes to dear life that is how it will always be between the two of them, but he nods anyway, even through his fractional doubt.

'Oh good,' she says through a relieved breath, 'because I wouldn't know what to do with all of these kids by myself. I kind of need your help.'

'I kind of gave you my help already, Bon,' he teases, only so they don't get emotional in the store. 'That's where those kids came from, you know. My _help_.'

Her face suddenly becoming disgusted, she slaps his shoulder twice, with what he guesses is supposed to be disgusted outrage, only, it's just amusing to him.

'That wasn't _me_! And it wasn't _you_ , so… Ugh, Damon. Just get the diapers already!'

Great, she's returned to a normal version of herself. All's right with the world again, and being at her bossy service will make him forget his own worries for a while. For as long as he can tickle Bonnie to feel some type of annoyance with him, he'll be good to keep his mom from his mind, so just what can he do…?

'Flora,' he suddenly remembers his two promises to her, 'we're getting diapers for the baby.'

* * *

Chapter 7, **Glass House.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, **Glass House.**

* * *

She has to admit, going shopping with the kids didn't turn out to be as bad as she thought it would be. Sure, they wanted all kinds of things, but generally, they were okay. To be honest, she even, at one time, felt a bit of jealousy towards them.

At that one point, when she looked up from the different pastas that she was struggling to choose from, and there was Ethan calling for her attention, she felt a stick of jealousy. That jealousy came about, as the fruit of not being able to remember some part in her earlier life, when she'd had her mom take her shopping, and she had the liberty to ask whatever she wanted, even if it was just to be told no, and then sulk a little bit about it.

But all that aside, all the sweetly cute things that happened while they were out, aside as well, she is home now, and that is something to be wholly grateful for. She didn't allow it to show when they were out, but she had been quite tight on her nerves.

At every and any moment, she'd just been waiting for some person to pop up and catch her out, right in the middle of being called 'Mom' by one of the kids. She doesn't want to think about it, but it would have been the scariest thing for Caroline, or worse, Elena, to surprise her with their presence, and then begin to ask about a group of kids calling her, 'Mom.' It didn't happen, however. Well, luckily and thankfully is more like it. Miraculously, she thinks.

Ah! Now, she's safely at home, where she knows that _no one_ will come looking for her. If either one of her friends wanted to find her, they would call her first, if they couldn't find her in their shared dorm room. None of them would think to come here, that's for sure.

At home, she feels like she is safe from her friends, also from Lily, who seems to have some obsession with her. It's sort of creepy, a tad like Kai, but whatever, in her own home, she doesn't have to worry about any of those people. It's only outside her home, where she gets into all types of unwanted trouble. That's why she told Damon to bring the kids here, to her house, in the first place. Had she allowed him to take the kids to his house…

Ah-uh, she shakes her head at the thought. No, just no. She doesn't even want to start thinking about how _that_ would have turned out. So just, no.

She should rather concentrate on the here and now, and that really just means getting the groceries into the kitchen. Sure, she would like it _much_ if Damon would stop entertaining the kids outside and help her like he used to do when they were in 1994, but hey, he's taken to playing outside with the three kids, like he's been doing it from the time that they were born, she won't bother with him. Yeah, she would like it if he would hold the door open for her, allowing her to freely step in and not worry about the door hitting her in the butt, as she pushes her way-

'Need some help?'

 _Oh! Yes, please._

She doesn't breathe out the response aloud, but she feels like even in her head, she sounded _too_ thankful. Not that there's anything wrong with being thankful for an offer for help, it's that she prefers that Damon's absence _didn't_ make her _feel_ like such a helpless thing, that she greedily accepts the help of the person immediately available.

Looking up to answer the question that way, she begins to hand over the bags, actually believing that Mia will help her with some of the load, when Mia moves her hand in a continuously curving motion, which makes the grocery bags lift out of her hands. Stunned, (not exactly at the use of magic) she looks at the floating bags, her eyes following them as they drift off towards the kitchen. She sight mesmerises her for only a few seconds, before she comes back to her reality and turns her eyes to Mia. With the way that _she_ grew up with Grams, had she attempted, even in her late teens after she found out that she was a witch, to do something so lazy, she's pretty sure that Grams wouldn't have allowed her to get away with it. Her Grams probably would've told her that there's absolutely nothing wrong with carrying the groceries by hand.

'I do it all the time,' Mia answers her, an unconcerned shrug accompanying her answer.

Wait… Did…? 'Did I say that out loud?' she wonders, feeling a frown form on her face.

Making something of snorting sound, Mia says, 'No. But I guessed that must be why you're looking at me like that.'

'Well, it's _lazy_ ,' she tells Mia.

She realises just then she sounded too much like Grams there, but it was for a good reason. What Mia did is lazy, and something that she should not be allowed to get away with. She imagines that Damon would probably have encouraged that type of behaviour, had he been here with them, it's only that she's not him.

'Why can't I use magic if I have it?' she argues with crossing arms. 'Dad let me use magic when it was just us.'

Damon _did what_?

Ugh! Of course, he did! What else could she have expected from Damon, but to allow them all the recklessness in the world? He doesn't even know what they are capable of, and he let the kid-

 _Ugh! Bonnie! What are you even thinking?_

What is she doing, easily falling into the road of thinking of the word dad as Damon? Is that what will happen from now on, that whenever she hears that one word, she'll put the name Damon in its place? She can't be dealing with that right now anyway. There's the issue of free magic use, that she needs to deal with.

'Having something doesn't mean that you should use it all the time,' she explains to Mia. 'Just carry the bags _with your hands_. I'll get the rest from the car.'

Not waiting for Mia to give her a response, or even an excuse if she was thinking of doing that, she goes back through the door and back to the car, to get the rest of the groceries. Two by two, she carries the bags from the car, dropping them at the door, where she expects Mia to pick them up, and then carry them the rest of the way to the kitchen, until eventually, she and Mia get all the grocery bags into the kitchen.

'We got some things for you guys, by the way,' Bonnie says as she begins to look through the bags, searching for what to put away first. 'They'll come with the delivery truck later on.'

'Thank you,' sounds Mia's response.

With Mia's response, she finds what to start with, which is how she pack the groceries away, while Mia randomly removes them for the bags, onto the counter. They work in silent accord, and it's during that silence, that she reflects on the day so far. She's supposed to take these kids in, treat them like her own, (which they apparently are) but she never _did_ apologise for being mean to Mia in the beginning. Now is as good a time as any to give an apology, she silently motivates herself, then quickly looks over her shoulder before her mind changes.

'I was rude before,' she says. 'I wanted to apologise for that.'

'It's okay,' Mia replies. 'Grandma said that you would be the last person to accept us, so I was prepared for it. Don't worry, Mom.'

Bonnie, feeling quite tempted to sharply face the kid and one, tell her not stop calling her _that_ , and two, tell her to stop telling her things in relation to a 'Grandma' that she doesn't know of. The simple implication behind that Grandma person, is one that is not comfortable with, so she would rather direct their talk to some other thing, than urge more exploration of the Grandma person.

'Um, yeah,' she says like she's tasting the words on her mouth. 'I just didn't mean to be rude like that. I'm sorry.'

'I know,' is all Mia says.

It sounds like a smile had been flown out somewhere with those simple words, and simply for that reason, Bonnie finds herself attracted to the idea of looking at Mia. More than attracted, actually. She actually turns around, to have her eyes fixed on Mia.

'Okay,' she says while nodding, 'I'm just sorry for being rude to you. I'm not usually like that. I was just shocked, and I guess… I just didn't want one more thing that could go wrong in my life.'

'I get it, but we're already here,' Mia tells her. 'We aren't _something_ that could go wrong.'

There was no attitude or defiance in Mia's answer, but still, Bonnie feels a little sting for not thinking before she spoke. She really didn't mean it like that, and if she made it sound like she thinks of them as an inconvenience to her, then that's not what she meant. Even though, technically, if she's being real, when people are involved, that's mostly when things go wrong.

'That's not what I meant, _Mia_. A listen, is this going to be permanent? You guys being here?'

Because there's something similar to Damon in this girl, and she has to know if she will be dealing with a copy of Damon all the days of her life. She just has to know.

In response, Mia first shrugs like it's nothing important, and then only says, 'You're our parents. We have nowhere else to go. We're staying.'

Right. What did she expect the answer to be really? But actually, they _do_ have their apparent Grandma, so _that's_ a place where they can go. Wherever she is, they can go to her. She's tempted to say that about the Grandma, but she chooses to stay silent on the matter. Mia doesn't push her for an answer either, expect, the way that Mia is studying her, begs to be questioned.

'What?'

'You and Dad aren't married, are you?'

Married? Ha! Marriage is not even a stretching reach, it's a… It's a thing that will never happen.

'No,' she quickly shakes her head. 'He's my… He has a girlfriend. He loves her. We're just friends. We're not even together.'

Nodding completely like she understands the situation, Mia says, 'Elena. Grandma said it would be like that.'

At the mention of that Grandma character, bitter resentment forces the words, 'What does she know?' to come from her mouth.

It's all directed to this Grandma, who seems to think that she knows all there is to know about Bonnie, and then _her_ relationship with Damon. She obviously knows nothing, because she hasn't been here to know that.

'Grandma explained to me that there was a way that I could bring us back to you guys,' she begins to explain. 'Um… In the time we came from, Dad chose to keep Elena alive, when Kai created his spell. That decision of his created _this_ timeline, so Dad could choose to keep you alive in this one. We obviously won't be born here, because Dad choosing to keep you alive, means sacrificing his desire, for you to live the life that he thinks you deserve.'

With confused intensity, Bonnie look at the girl across from her, because that doesn't make sense. How is it, that when he kept Elena alive, the kids were born, and when he kept her, Bonnie, alive, the kids wouldn't be born?

'What are you talking about?' she asks with a frown. 'Kai didn't do anything. I mean, he's crazy psychotic, and whatever, but he didn't create any spell.'

Heavily, Mia sighs. 'He will. Grandma said I shouldn't tell you about it. _I_ want to tell you, but what if you guys disappear from this time as well and we won't have any more parents to go to?'

Because this is quite possibly the first time that she has seen Mia speak like a scared child, something inside of her sees it only fitting that she assures the child not to worry about that.

'We're not going anywhere,' she says.

'You also said you would come back,' Mia tells her, her expression pained, 'but then Uncle Stefan came to tell me that we would be living with Grandma. _You_ are the one who always says that the supernatural world is unpredictable. You can't tell me that.'

Okay, firstly, (and this she'll have to address with time) that girl has some type of resentment within her, and the sad thing is that without fully understanding Mia, Bonnie just understands what that's like. And secondly, wow, whatever the other supposed self of hers was, or was not, she must have drilled it very hard into the mind of Mia, to remember everything that she apparently _ever_ said. But back to the first point of relating to Mia…

'It is unpredictable,' she softly moves her head up and down. 'One day, you're studying, or just dreaming about your boyfriend, and then the next thing you know, you're being called on to bring someone back from the dead. Or to close a veil. Or suddenly, you're the mother of five children that literally just appeared. And you _just_ don't know what to do.'

'We have nowhere else to go,' Mia repeats, but this time, it might as well have been a pained whisper, that she forced out of herself, for all the impact that it has on Bonnie.

A feeling… Something like a feeling of suffocation, where closing your eyes does nothing to soothe the experience as it would in ordinary cases of pain… She just doesn't know how to properly describe this feeling of needing relief, but not finding it… Except that it feels very uncomfortable. She just has to do something about it.

'It's okay,' Bonnie tries to pacify even herself more than Mia. 'You can stay here. I'm not…' she pauses here, only to think well on what she wants to say, because she might just offend the girl again. 'I'm not complaining… It's just all of this is all of a sudden, you know? I just- I'm not saying you can't stay here.'

Mia just looks at her stumbling on her words, but after a while, she seems to relax and accept what she's being told. If a neutral look and a slight now is any confirmation, then she can say that Mia somehow understands. She can at least breathe ease with that information. And move on to something less constricting in the feelings area. Thinking that, she clears her throat, mostly to clear the bad feeling down to the stomach where it will most likely not bother her.

'Can I ask you something?'

As Mia nods her response, she goes on to ask, 'We really died in your time?'

For the second time, Mia gives her another nod for an answer.

'And there was nothing that could be done to revive us?'

Still apparently set on not using words, Mia shakes her head as her reply. Bonnie had been asking just to make six hundred percent sure that she didn't pull an abandoning stunt on her five children, and while clearly, from Mia's answer, she can for sure say that she did not run away from her kids, there's a sadness forming on Mia's face that deserves her attention.

In the few seconds that Bonnie watches Mia, trying to understand why there's something amiss with her, it occurs almost instantly to Bonnie that they have moved on to sensitive grounds. Mia said it herself, the other kids don't understand what death really is, and Flora is too innocent to really get it, but Mia is old and mature enough to know with certainty that her parents are never coming back.

That, must be heartbreaking to be forced to admit.

Which is exactly what she did to the poor girl.

No wonder she couldn't open her mouth to answer.

Wow, she's such an idiot. And she has to rectify this in the only way that she can think of.

Strangely, the remedy that she thinks of, is that one time that Damon walked into his kitchen, and took a tentative chance by opening his arms for her. She does the same now for Mia, recalling how back then, that one action had shifted so much in her relationship with Damon just like that. It had been a risky chance, because the possibility that she would reject him if she wanted had been there, but in the end, she took the same chance, leaping into his hold, without really knowing if the embrace that she aimed for, was the right and confident one for the type of relationship that they had.

It worked out in the end, she remembers, and she just hopes that it works out for her and Mia.

'Mom, what are you doing?' a finally smiling Mia asks. 'You usually just ask if I want a hug. That's Dad's thing,' she finishes by pointing to the open arms.

'It _is_ Damon's thing,' Bonnie smiles back, easily letting her arms down. 'He does these things that are… It is his kind of thing.'

Gosh, did she hear herself? She can't believe that she just accepted Damon being Dad. But hey, who is she to argue when she ad Mia are talking openly like this? Smiles and all, relating to something that they have a connection to?

Besides, there's still the pending hug between them, that needs to be dealt with, so she needs to ask, 'Do you want a hug now?'

'Yeah, I do.'

Good, because her feet are already carrying her to Mia, who for her part as well, makes the few steps needed to bring them closer. When they meet, Bonnie wastes no time in pulling Mia in for a hug, holding her tightly, mostly for the reason that she had been unpleasant to Mia before.

'Thanks, Mom,' Mia expresses.

Just for that, Bonnie prolongs the hug, not necessarily holding on tighter, just that the amount of time makes a good difference. They eventually pull apart, without stepping too far away from each other.

'So are _you_ going to pack our stuff when it gets here?' Mia wants to know.

'I guess. It's a lot of work.'

'Really?' Mia raises both of her eyebrows. 'You're a witch, and Dad's a vampire with super strength and speed. It won't even take you an hour to get everything ready. Plus, Flora and the twins will want to help you.'

'And you?'

Bonnie can't help it notice that she didn't include herself in there. For someone who had been ready to carry the groceries by magic, she should be looking forward to using her magic in helping with the arranging of their stuff.

'No,' she plainly says.

Just a plain no, with no explanation or even an excuse? Bonnie can't believe it, and she guesses that it must be showing on her face, her disbelief. When she was that age, she would've shamelessly given an excuse as to why she couldn't help, but here Mia is, confident in her no, as if she has every important authority in the world.

'No?' Bonnie asks her, seriously expecting to be answered. 'That's it? No excuse, or anything? Don't teenagers just give excuses? Isn't that your thing?'

Mia mostly just smiles at her, saying, 'Mom, I'll do the groceries. Relax.'

'You don't know where everything goes,' she tries to reason with the child.

'I have eyes, Mom. And magic. I'll find out.'

To magic, apparently closing the conversation with those words of hers, Mia turns on her back, going back to unpacking the groceries form the bags just like that, which leaves Bonnie no choice but to see a Damon characteristic being displayed. The finality of having the last word, the certainty of being decided, and not being able to be influenced to doing otherwise… All that is so infuriatingly Damon, and because it's so, Mia's so very likely to convince her of _anything_ without really trying. She'll let it go for now, but Damon will have to give her an answer for that child. She'll leave Mia to the packing, but before she leaves, she'll make one thing very clear.

'You're not using magic,' she tells Mia as she her feet start to lift from the floor.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

'Is it okay to give them so much chips and popcorn?' she asks, whispers, really, to Damon.

It had been so easy to usher all of them into the living room and bribe them with a fairytale movie, as soon as the delivery truck arrived, that now, she's wondering if she made the wrong choice of bribery to use.

'Everyone eats popcorn at the movies, Bon,' is his answer to her, his hands on shoulders. 'It's the thing.'

Looking at him, she thinks that while, yeah, it's the thing, they're kids, and they are supposed to have dinner later. He should be able to understand that.

'What if it takes away their appetite for dinner, Damon?'

His answer, and it surprises her a little, is to shrug. Knowing him, she should exactly take that to mean that he doesn't find that to be a problem. He probably thinks that popcorn and chips are food enough for kids. He's probably the parent between them, who allows the kids whatever they want. Great. Just great, who she has as help.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

Considering the time that the kids showed up, the time it took to shop for their things, and then arrange their different shared rooms, it's no surprise to Bonnie that it's just some hour or two away to sunset. Sunset means getting dinner ready, and for that to happen, she at least needs the kids to have bathed, which the reason she delegates the task to Damon.

She hears quite clearly, all the way from the kitchen, how the little one scream with joy, apparently happy that they get to have bath with their dad. It's endearing to hear, but on the other hand, there's a little bit of a sting that the kids seem to like Damon better. It doesn't matter, she tells herself. Damon has given them a reason to like him more, she guesses.

And besides, she should worry more about what should she make.

What can she make that the kids will want to eat? What if they have allergies to some types of food? What if they don't like what she makes? She's retained the lessons that Grams taught her about cooking, and she's turned out to be a person who can make edible food, but the question remains, what should she make? For kids, even. Maybe as kids, they aren't so picky… She hopes.

She should just make a simple dish, she thinks. Something allergy proof. Something like mashed potatoes and rice. Maybe some frozen veggies and canned tuna for colour and variety. That's at least what she has _for sure_ in her cupboards. She bought new stuff, but she finds it wiser to get rid of the older stuff first, if she's going to be living with children. The upside is that no one's allergic to potatoes and rice. Everyone eats fries, so there's no one in the world allergic to potatoes.

She'll make that for dinner, then, it's settled.

And, before she forgets this, she'll also need to make the baby formula. The sleeping baby needs to eventually eat too.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

Bonnie's the last of all of them, to take a seat at the table, and it was _not_ a thing that she designed. It just sort of happened, that the kids naturally drew to the table when they guessed that dinner was ready, took their seats, and then started reaching for the food set out in front of them. That made her stand still for a moment, because in her head, while she was making the food, she saw a different picture. She saw herself laying the table, and then calling all of them to the table, even going as far as getting them down from their rooms, to get them down to the dinner table, but the reality turned out to be so much different.

She watched them in silence, Damon included, keenly noticing the natural air to all of them when doing things. They moved around with no hesitation, and although she had asked Mia if they are here to stay, observing it for herself (much like she used to do when Damon was making something in the kitchen and she was waiting for him to finish with it), that these kids really, really _are_ their kids in a different life. And quite possibly, these kids will have to live with her and Damon all their lives. That is something that she has to come to terms with, and fast… And the start of that, is sitting down at the table to join them.

Phew, here she goes…

She takes the empty seat on Damon's right, finding it easier to sit there. He's more familiar than four kids. Not that it seems to matter, because two younger ones are humming something, Mia is arranging her food, most likely a picky eater, and Flora is already eating. There doesn't look to be any need for much talking, but for some reason as she starts reaching for any dish to start with, Flora calls for her.

'Mom?'

By way of answering, she looks at Flora, because she still has to get used to being called Mom out of the blue. With Mia in the kitchen, it had been all right (ish) to stomach, because the word had been said within a line of words. When it's singularly said, with no other words to dull down the effect, however, it's just so highlighted and comes without a warning, that it makes her heart skip a beat.

'Are we going back to school tomorrow?' Flora asks.

 _School?_ What does she mean, school?

Not quite panicked, but something close, she looks at Damon, and then she looks at Mia, completely feeling out of place. Damon seems to have them under control, and Mia knows everything, so it's not fair that she's suddenly the only one being singled out.

'We're changing schools, Flora,' Mia is the one to say, ultimately saving her. 'We'll probably go to a school where we can wear what we want. The school where Mom went.'

'Really?' Flora wants to know, although looking at her, not Mia, and looking upset. 'Why can't we go back to _our_ school? I like it there. I like wearing uniform.'

The only thing easily able to come from Bonnie, is silence. She has no answer, because she just doesn't know what to say. What does she say to kids who want to go to school, when she herself is still in school? And not only that, she's only three quarters caught up with what she's missed so far in school, and now what, she has to register the kids as hers and Damon's at a school?

'Dad?' Flora turns to Damon when she doesn't get an answer. 'I want to go back to _our_ school. Why can't we?' Flora asks him.

Damon puts his fork down, looking at Flora with a confused look on his face, to ask, 'You actually _like_ wearing uniform?'

'It's easier. I don't have to choose what to wear every day,' she explains with a shrug.

'It is,' Bonnie automatically agrees, which makes Flora smile at the support.

'It's a Stefan trait,' Damon says like he's correcting both of them. 'You did _not_ get that gene from me.'

Visibly offended, Flora frowns at him, crying a long, 'Daaaad!'

That also apparently tickles Damon more, because he doesn't stop teasing her.

'And that's so Bonnie,' he keeps on. 'Only _she_ can make that face.'

That's so not true, Bonnie things, feeling a frown of her own form. She doesn't know if it's anything like the offended look on Flora's face, but she's some type of offended just the same. She turns to Flora, not sure what she wants to get from her, but some agreement would be nice, she realises at the last second. Much more, when suddenly Mia and Damon just start laughing. Both she and Flora turn their attention to Mia, who's laughing the hardest, as though she's been holding in the laughter for too long, and now she just can't keep it in anymore.

'Stop laughing, Mia,' Flora complains.

Mia, not hearing Flora, or choosing not to pay attention to her, continues to laugh, almost like she's telling everyone at the table that she won't give up this chance to laugh. Flora, though, keeps the frown firmly pasted on her face, directed towards her laughing sister, while Damon keeps a steady chuckle in support of Mia.

The picture that's look at doesn't look perfect per se. No, she wouldn't say that it was part of what she imaged would be part of the dinner table once they sat down, but at the moment, seeing even the twins undisturbed by what's going on, she is surrounded by warm relaxation. Her mind and body move to state of relaxation.

It's that at this particular table, at this time, with these people, no one expects her to open portals, to bring anyone back from the dead, to rescue people from some Prison World, or even just get right back into the feel of school. No has magical expectations of her, there's just… Random, not so serious stuff, she would say.

Well, with Mia laughing like that, it's really hard to take anything seriously. Even Flora's set expression becomes something of a joke her, that she can almost see what it is that Damon and Mia are laughing about. However, if she was in Flora's shoes, she wouldn't want anyone laughing at her, whether she looked funny or not. She has to defend the frowning one.

'Okay, Damon and Mia,' she rolls her eyes, 'that's enough.'

Her words have no effect on the laughter, because neither of the two stop showing their mirth, irritating Flora still.

'They're still laughing,' she complains again.

'Ignore them,' Bonnie advises her, finding it a waste of breath to talk to people who won't listen to her.

'But Mia said that we'll go to a different school,' Flora whines in response, clearly not appeased. 'Why can't we go back to our school?'

' _Your_ school?' Bonnie asks out of curiosity.

Something, maybe her expression, or maybe her curiosity, makes Flora frown directly at her, and then suddenly, the frown leaves her face, making room for an angry-ish, about to cry-ish look on her face, that she sends Mia's way.

'It's _our_ school,' she mumbles, looking down to her plate of food, 'not only me and Mia's. You guys don't remember.'

The accusatory blame in Flora's quiet tone, miraculously sobers everyone up at the table. This time, she doesn't feel like it will help to look at Mia and Damon to help her get out of this, because somehow, she feels like Flora's right to blame her. She doesn't have a base to feel that way, but she feels it anyway, and so when she tries to say something, even as her mouth opens, she has no idea what to say. Had Damon not chosen to speak then, the silence would've carried on at the table.

'Hey,' he tries. 'We'll sort out the school thing tomorrow.'

Flora shrugs his comfort away, like it doesn't matter to her, and with her head down, she continues to eat her food. And just like that, it just turns into an uncomfortable dinner. Everyone goes back to eating their food in heavy silence. If not for Ethan and Nice throwing in some random words here and there, entertaining themselves, for there to be sounds at the table, the sounds of only utensils against plates, would've been unbearable.

* * *

 **26Chapters**

* * *

Getting through the rest of dinner had been one of the most straining things that she has experienced in her life. She experienced firsthand tonight, that there's nothing like knowing that there's something wrong with a child, but not being let in enough, to make it better for them. It really made her feel like a terrible person. She should've been feeling better now that they've put the kids to bed, but she's still… And to make things worse, the moment that she's been avoiding, has come.

She's really just moving from one saddening thing to another one that is scary. There's no positive difference. It's like living in a house made of glass, just going from one glass room to another. But okay, this needs to be done. There is no permanent way to avoid this, so… She takes a deep breath before she moves to Damon, who is looking down into the crib, that they placed inside her room, a little way to the left of her bed.

'Shouldn't he be awake now?' she asks, specifically looking at Damon.

'They're part vampire, you know. Mia told me,' he says.

'He's just a baby,' she reminds him.

What she means for him to understand is that the last time that she checked, vampires were made, not born. He can't tell her that he doesn't _remember_ that part about vampirism.

'He's a Salvatore witch with Bennett blood, Bon,' he says quietly, a hint of pride attached to his words.

Damon makes this look so easy. Not just him peering with special attention at the sleeping baby, but just talking about his conversations with Mia so freely. It's not like he's only known her for a day. If only she could be like him.

'He's still a baby,' she maintains. 'And he should be awake by now. He needs to eat.'

Instead of answering her, Damon also reaches into the crib, holds the baby under his arms and then lifts him out of his crib. Once he has the baby in his arms, he shakes him not too lightly.

Surprised by his actions, she asks, 'What are you doing?'

'What?' Damon shrugs, moving the baby in his arms to her. 'You said you had to feed him. What was I supposed to do, ask him nicely?'

'No, but you could've…'

'I could've what?' he asks, still holding the baby out for her to take.

He's still holding the baby out for her, she observes, and finding no escape, not in words, not in anything, she prepares her arms, internally bracing herself for the sensation that will follow her holding the child for the first time. She tries her level best to not hold her breath, but she fails to do that.

As Damon places the baby into her arms, the physical feel of the baby reaches her external senses, except, that's literally all that happens.

There's supposed to be a feeling there, she knows. She's watched movies, and she's read books, and there's always a moment where the mother holds her baby for the first time, and she feels the most protective love for her baby. She partly avoided this moment, for that reason, but as it is, she doesn't feel it.

'I don't feel anything,' she tells Damon.

Why doesn't she feel anything? What's wrong with her? Is she…? Did her own mom…? Is this what it felt like for her mom? Is that why it was so easy for her walk away? Because she didn't feel anything upon holding her own baby?

'Why don't I feel anything, Damon?' she asks again, because she's sure that Damon has felt something whenever holding the baby.

She looks at him, feeling desperate to hear him give her a solution, but looking into his eyes, the exact opposite happens, and instead, she feels the weight of everything falling down into her heart. Everything from feeling betrayed by Damon when he came to see her at school, the entrance of the kids, later being cornered by Lily, the whole day concerning the kids, Flora being upset towards the end of dinner, and now, not feeling anything when she held baby Dean… It's all weighing her down, and her heart painfully cries out for 1994. It just does.

'I miss you, Damon,' involuntarily comes out of her mouth.

She misses 1994 him, and how they used to just talk. When they had each other, and because he was with her, she had hope to keep fighting through each day. She misses that, because since coming back, things have just been so different, and she feels alone, and in feeling alone, she can't generate enough hope to get through the things that bother her; she just buries them, not dealt with.

'Put him back in the crib,' he says to her, his eyes set on the baby.

'I need to feed him,' she tells him, because despite not feeling what she's supposed to, he still has to eat.

'You will. Just put him down first.'

Although she doesn't understand what he wants to achieve by removing the baby from her arms, she does what he asks, gently placing him back onto his bed. He makes no fuss at being placed down, which is why it doesn't take convincing to get her to sit on the bed with Damon. She freely allows Damon to lead her by arm, to sit with him.

'I miss you too,' he gives a lopsided smile, maybe to pass it off as nothing, once they are seated.

'Ha,' she starts to tease. 'I knew you couldn't live without me.'

'I can,' he tells her, no joke in his voice. 'I'd just do it miserably.'

'You were miserable in 1994, remember?'

'I wasn't miserable.'

'I wasn't exactly miserable either.'

'Good,' he smiles, gently squeezing her hand while he is at it.

'Good,' she repeats.

A silent, but comfortable moment passes between them, in which he places his second hand atop their other two, and then he starts in a low, assuring tone, with, 'Anyway… I wanted you to know… I haven't been the best kind of friend lately, and the thing with my mom and Kai, and everything… Just douchy behaviour... And um, you're not doing this alone, so just don't get overwhelmed. I just wanted you to know that.'

There's an apology in there. And a promise that she doesn't have to do this alone. It's done in a very Damonly manner, but she appreciates it anyway. It means a lot to know that he is supporting her. It means even more to think that maybe, when he told her to put Dean in his crib, he was saving her from a bad space within her emotions, just so he could calm her down with silly banter.

'You're going home, though, right? After he's asleep?'

'Nope,' is his answer.

And that's just it. There's no room left to question that.

'I'm not sleeping on the left side either,' he adds, 'in case you were dancing around with crazy ideas in your head.'

'Of course, you're not,' she jokes. 'Because you're sleeping on the couch.'

'Ha-Ha,' he mock laughs. 'Aren't you just a comedian, Bon! Too bad your jokes suck. And...' he nods toward the crib. 'If we don't feed him soon, he'll fall asleep. Where did you leave the bottle?'

'It's in the kitchen.'

He untangles their hands, saying, 'I'll get it,' right before he gets up from the bed.

* * *

Chapter 8, **Hereafter.**


End file.
